Sensors & Combat Systems
HMS Brocklesby, Her NATO Counterparts Test Minefield Sailing Skills
Italian frigate ITS Aliseo leads a line of international warships behind HMS Brocklesby as the British warship shows the way through a minefield off Crete. Over two hectic days off the north coast of the Mediterranean island, the Portsmouth-based minehunter and her NATO counterparts tested their abi
HMS Portland Docks in Sao Tome and Principe
HMS Portland became the first Royal Navy Ship to visit São Tomé and Príncipe in 29 years when she anchored off the islands for a two day visit. The last Royal Navy Ship to visit the islands was the survey vessel HMS Herald in 1985. Prior to that, the last recorded visit of a […]
German Frigate Transits Suez Canal and Red Sea
Last week German Navy frigate, FGS Brandenburg, completed her transit through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea towards the waters of the Gulf of Aden to start counter piracy operations with the EU Naval Force Somalia, Operation Atalanta. The Suez Canal, which is 162 kilometres in length is an extrem
Ramsgate Hosts Three Royal Navy Patrol Vessels (UK)
The Universities Royal Naval Units’ (URNU) ships, HMS Example, HMS Blazer and HMS Puncher, will call in at Ramsgate during their Easter deployments. Example is Northumbria universities’ ship and she arrived at Ramsgate Marina on Saturday March 29, remaining in town until Monday. Blazer, which is t
NIRIIS 2014: SNMCMG2 Hones Skills in Greek Waters
Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group TWO (SNMCMG2) participated in Exercise NIRIIS 2014 earlier this month near Crete. The exercise focused on training participants in Maritime Interdiction Operations, including asymmetric threat scenarios, helicopter and flight-deck training, mine countermea
Engineers Develop Mobile App to Find Their Way Around Elizabeth Class Ships
British engineers constructing the Royal Navy’s largest ever warships have invented a novel mobile application to help them find their way around one of the most complex workplaces in the world. Although getting lost at work isn’t an issue for most people, experts at BAE Systems working on the Que
Colombian Navy Overhauls Its Almirante Padilla Frigates
Thales and DCNS announced that the comprehensive modernisation programme of the Colombian Navy’s four Almirante Padilla class frigates has been concluded with a successful Sea Acceptance Test of the class’s fourth ship. The contract with the Colombian authorities was signed early 2009, with DCNS a
DCNS Showcases Its Portfolio at DIMDEX 2014
DCNS, a naval defence giant, is exhibiting at DIMDEX 2014, taking place from 25th to 27th of March, in Doha, Qatar. As a naval prime contractor, shipbuilder and systems integrator, DCNS is showcasing a myriad of its products including: Surface combatants The FREMM multimission frigates combine the
Spanish, US Anti-Piracy Ships Rendezvous in the Gulf of Oman
Rear-admiral Eugenio Díaz del Río, Commander of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG-2) currently participating in operation ‘Ocean Shield’ fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean, welcomed Rear-admiral Kevin M. Sweeney, Commander of the U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group 10. The two flagships, the Sp
US Navy Destroyer Escorts ‘Morning Glory’ to Libya
Twenty-five U.S. Navy personnel remain aboard the oil tanker Morning Glory after a team of Navy SEALs boarded and took control of the ship on March 17, Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said yesterday. U.S. forces took control of the tanker in international waters at the request of the g
ESPS Tornado Departs Operation Atalanta
On 13 March 2014, EU Naval Force warship, ESPS Tornado departed Operation Atalanta’s patrol areas off the Somali coast after completing 105 days and is now heading for her home port of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria. As the ship set a navigation course for Spain, the Rear Admiral Bléjean, who is the F
UK: HMS Sutherland Halfway Through Massive Revamp
HMS Sutherland is surrounded by a mass of scaffolding and sheeting as she’s part-way through a massive revamp in her home base of Devonport. Her paintwork has been stripped off, bow sonar removed and interior gutted during an 11-month refit in the imposing frigate shed. This gift-wrapped beauty is
France: FREMM Normandie Wraps Up 3rd Sea Trial Round
The FREMM Normandie returned to port on Saturday 8 March on the DCNS site in Lorient, at the end of its third series of sea trials. This frigate is the second of the series ordered by the French DGA (General Directorate for Armament) for the French Navy. OCCAR is the contracting agency for the [&h
VIDEO: Nato Flagship’s Readiness Put to Test at Sea
Spanish warship Alvaro De Bazan, NATO’s counter-piracy flagship, took part in an air defence training drill in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday (5 March 2014) in order to maintain its readiness to tackle any challenge on the high seas, including deterrance of Somali pirates. French air force fighters