Spanish warship, ESPS Victoria, has joined Operation Atalanta, the European Union’s counter-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia. She departed her home port in Spain on September 10. ESPS Victoria is a Santa María class frigate. Built in Spain, her design is based on the US Oliver Hazard Perry
Sailors and Marines manned the rails as the amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) set sail from Naval Station Norfolk Tuesday morning, October 6, for its maiden deployment. The ship pulled out of Norfolk to begin the transit across the Atlantic Ocean. The San Antonio-class ship and i
Over the weekend, the ships of Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2) entered the port of Barcelona, Spain, for a routine port visit, following a period of support to the counter-terrorism Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR (OAE). SNMG2 currently consists of the flagship German frigate FGS HAMBURG, the Tu
The guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) arrived in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) on September 21. Commanded by Cmdr. Shea Thompson, the ship and crew of more than 300 Sailors are currently assigned to Destroyer Squadron 23 and will be conducting Maritime Theater Security C
Cmdr. Micah Maxwell relieved Cmdr. Brian Tothero as Commander of the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Buffalo (SSN 715) during a ceremony at the submarine piers on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Oct. 6. While in command, Tothero led his submarine through the completion of a 17-month ship
The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) arrived in Singapore Sept. 30 for a visit as a part of its deployment to the Western Pacific. With a crew of approximately 150, Oklahoma City showcased the latest capabilities of the submarine fleet. Cmdr. Michael Conner, Oklaho
First Lady Michelle Obama joins General Dynamics Electric Boat in christening Illinois (SSN-786), the U.S. Navy’s newest and most advanced nuclear attack submarine, at a ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 11 a.m. First Lady Michelle Obama is the ship’s sponsor and participated in the keel laying of t
Alexander Nevsky, Russian Navy’s nuclear ballistic missile submarine, arrived in the port of Vilyuchinsk, in the Kamchatka Peninsula on September 30, 2015. This second vessel of the fourth generation Borei class (Project 955A) was built by Sevmash shipyard in the northern city of Severodvinsk. Initi
NATO ships assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) and Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group One (SNMCMG1) have completed their participation in Exercise NORTHERN COASTS 2015 on Sept. 29. Surface ships, a submarine, and several air assets from 16 different nations successfully compl
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. received a $392 million contract modification from the US Navy for the delivery of further Trident II (D5) missiles and related support services. The contract also includes missile production, D5 life extension development and production, and D5 deployed systems sup
Spanish submarine Mistral has just returned to her homeport in Cartagena, Spain, after participating in NATO’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise Dynamic Manta 15. The manoeuvers were organized by COMSUBNATO and monitored by his Staff from Northwood, UK. The exercise took place off the coast of S
For the first time in almost 38 years, there will be no Oliver Hazard Perry (OHP) Frigate on the fleet rolls of the United States Navy. The USS Simpson (FFG 56) was decommissioned in her homeport of Mayport, Florida, Sept. 29, and represented the last frigate in the Navy’s inventory. The OHP Frigate
Britain’s newest operational boat, HMS Ambush, made a rare appearance on the surface of the Mediterranean for NATO’s biggest submarine exercise of the autumn. Over 10 days, five surface ships and seven maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters pitted their wits against seven submarines, five conventi
The guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63) was inducted as the first ship to undergo a modernization effort that will significantly upgrade its capabilities in multiple mission areas, Sept. 25, at Naval Base San Diego. The CG Phased Modernization Program is designed to balance the Navy’s long-te
