Divers from the US, German and Dutch navies concluded several days of expeditionary mine countermeasures (ExMCM) training as part of exercise Bold Alligator 2017 (BA17). The combined ExMCM force had members from the Royal Netherlands Navy Defense Dive Group Very Shallow Water (VSW) Dive Platoon, Ger
UK-based navigation systems supplier Kelvin Hughes announced it has been awarded a contract to deliver its navigation radars for the Philippine Navy’s two new frigates currently being constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries. The contract for the construction of the 2,600 ton frigates was awarded to
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 joined NATO’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) in La Spezia, Italy, to take part in a series of experiments and trials last week. Royal Navy’s HMS Diamond, Turkish Navy’s TCG Barbaros and Spain’s ESPS Blas de Lezo visited Italy after
Mine countermeasure experts form the UK and US navies embarked the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Cardigan Bay to complete the Mine Identification and Exploitation Exercise 2017 . The exercise allowed for US and UK forces to share knowledge of mine countermeasures (MCM) capabilities in searching, identi
The prime contractor on the Swedish Navy’s Göteborg-class corvette upgrade project has contracted Kongsberg Maritime to deliver ST2400 VDS (Varial Depth Sonar) systems to enhance the corvettes’ anti-submarine warfare capabilities. HSwMS Gävle and HSwMS Sundsvall, the two remaining corvettes in the c
The German Navy’s fifth Type 212A submarine ‘U35’ has damaged one of the blades on her X-shaped rudder during deepwater tests off the coast of Norway. The U35 is now at the TyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) shipyard in Kiel where it is being assessed for damages. According to the German Navy, the ac
Ships from NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) are heading to France for a scheduled port visit and ordnance disposal operations. The ships are scheduled to arrive in Cherbourg on October 20 where they will coordinate with the French Navy in preparation for historical ordnance dis
Orkney researchers have found the vessel used by HMS Royal Oak sailors to escape the sinking battleship in Scapa Flow. While the whereabouts of the wreck of HMS Royal Oak, which sank in the first weeks of the World War II, are known, researchers struggled to locate the battleship’s steam pinnacle in
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland has welcomed her crew back following a major refit at the frigate refit complex in Devonport. Justin Mills, ship project manager, handed over the Type 23 frigate to the new Commander Alexandra Pollard. This is Pollard’s first command having previously
The Russian Navy will soon receive the first batch of the Pantsir-ME naval missile and anti-aircraft artillery weapon systems, the weapon manufacturer said recently. Alexander Denisov, general director of the High Precision Complex holding company, which includes Pantsir-ME manufacturer KBP, told jo
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has started construction of the second Italian Navy multipurpose offshore patrol ship (PPA). The steel-cutting ceremony took place on October 3 at the shipbuilder’s Riva Trigoso, Genova, shipyard. The unit will be delivered in 2022 and is part of the Italian Navy vess
The Brazilian Navy’s first upgraded Super Lynx Mk21B helicopter has performed its maiden flight from the Yeovil facility in southwest England. The flight success was announced by aerospace and defense company Leonardo which is in charge of upgrading eight Mk21B helicopters under a US$160 million con
The Royal Navy’s third Type 26, or City-class, frigate will be named Belfast, First Sea Lord Admiral Philip Jones announced on September 27. Whilst the second to be named, HMS Belfast is Ship 3 in the Type 26 programme. Ship 1 is called HMS Glasgow and Ship 2 is yet to be named. The future […
A multibeam survey conducted as part of a maritime archaeology project has confirmed the exact location of the Royal Navy’s WW1 destroyer HMS Pheasant. Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA), the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute and SULA Diving said they are now a