The US Coast Guard decommissioned the Island-class cutter Galveston Island (WPB 1349) in a ceremony held at Coast Guard Base Honolulu on March 16. The 110-foot patrol boat was decommissioned after nearly 26 years of service as part of recapitalization efforts. Its years of service included law enfor
US Navy amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20) joined the rest of the Wasp amphibious ready group (ARG) in Okinawa, Japan, arriving at White Beach Naval Facility to onload elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). The forward-deployed Green Bay joined the group after just
The Indian and the French navies have launched Varuna 2018, a joint naval exercise, in Goa, India. The first phase of the naval exercise is scheduled to be completed on March 24. In 2018, the exercise will be conducted in three sea areas – the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the South-West Indian
The US Coast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker, USCGC Polar Star, returned to its homeport in Seattle on March 16 after completing a mission plagued by several “engineering challenges”. The crew of the cutter overcame flooding and engine failure to accomplish their mission supporting operation Deep Free
Future US Navy littoral combat ship (LCS) Tulsa (LCS 16) has successfully completed acceptance trials after a series of in-port and underway demonstrations for the US Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey. The trials, concluded on March 9, are the last significant milestone before delivery of the sh
The littoral combat ship (LCS) mission modules (MM) program completed developmental testing (DT) of the coastal mine reconnaissance (CMR) mission module aboard USS Coronado (LCS 4) off the coast of Southern California February 22, the US Navy said. Consisting of the MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial
Ships from the US Navy’s Wasp amphibious ready group made a stop in Okinawa, Japan, on March 15 following two weeks of certifications. Amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) and amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) arrived at White Beach, Okinawa, to embark the 31st Marine Expeditiona
Eastern Shipbuilding Group, the prime contractor on the US Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter program, recently awarded Schoellhorn-Albrecht a contract for the design and manufacture of equipment for the cutters. According to a Schoellhorn-Albrecht announcement, the company will be responsible for d
The US Navy’s froward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) got underway from Spain, to start a patrol in the US 6th Fleet area of operations. The destroyer’s seventh patrol started on March 12, as the ship and crew departed Naval Station Rota. Donald Cook wi
Trent, the third of five River-class offshore patrol vessels (OPV) being built for the Royal Navy, has been named. The naming ceremony took place in Govan, Glasgow on March 13, BAE Systems Maritime informed. Trent is now set to take to the water for the first time and make the short journey across t
The US Navy named its 76th Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer in honor of Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and Navy Cross recipient Lance Cpl. Patrick Gallagher. In 1966, Gallagher, who immigrated from Ballyhaunis, Ireland in 1962, joined the Marine Corps where he served in H-Company, 2nd Batt
Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland got underway for the first time since 2016 after undergoing a major refit. The frigate was delivered to the crew by shipbuilder Babcock in October 2017 and is now starting trials and training evolutions before returning to operations. The 24-year-old fri
After concluding a historic visit to Vietnam on March 9, US Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson started a bilateral exercise with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter carrier JS Ise. Carl Vinson and JS Ise are joined by US destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108), which is part of th
The Royal Australian Navy concluded exercise Ocean Explorer, its largest fleet training activity for 2018. The exercise concluded on March 11 as ten ships and their embarked aircraft returned to Royal Australian Navy Base HMAS Creswell. “Most importantly it has seen more than 2,000 men and women fro
