NATO’s Allied Maritime Command MARCOM was transferred over to Vice Admiral Clive Johnstone CB CBE in a brief ceremony at Northwood Headquarters outside London. Vice Admiral Peter Hudson CB CBE has held command of MARCOM since February 14, 2013, leading the newly consolidated command forward as the A
The EU anti-migrant smuggling operation in the Mediterranean sea, known as Operation Sophia, has entered its operational phase, aimed at boarding and seizing vessels suspected of being used for human smuggling and trafficking. The operational phase follows the first phase, launched June 22, which in
The mighty anchors on Britain’s biggest warship have been tested for the first time. Nearly as heavy as the jets which will operate from HMS Queen Elizabeth, the 13-tonne anchors were lowered on the carrier and into the huge basin in Rosyth where she is being completed. The trial involving engineers
Belgian Navy’s frigate Leopold I officially joined EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia on October 10. The Belgian ship will work together with the other ships already deployed in the region. On 7 October, as announced by the EU Political and Security Committee, Operation EUNAVFOR MED – Operation Sophia mo
DCNS has completed the first sea outing of the FREMM Languedoc on the Lorient site, the third of the series of vessels ordered by OCCAR on behalf of the DGA (French Defense Procurement Agency) and the French Navy. During this first sea outing, the main objective was to test the performance of the ve
Astute-class submarine HMS Ambush successfully completed her six-month operational deployment and returned to her home port of HM Naval Base Clyde on Tuesday, October 6. The hunter-killer submarine left Faslane in May to spend the summer conducting UK operations in addition to taking part in NATO ac
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) arrived in Odesa, Ukraine, for a scheduled port visit Oct. 9, 2015. The vessel’s presence in Ukraine reaffirms to NATO allies that the U.S. Navy shares a commitment to strengthen ties while working toward mutual goals of promoting
HMS Queen Elizabeth Gets New Radar System A cutting-edge 3D radar system, capable of detecting objects as small as a tennis ball and travelling at three times the speed of sound more than 25km away, has been successfully installed to the Royal Navy’s future aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth. HMS
Three Chinese PLA Navy vessels entered Poland’s naval port in Gdynia for a five-day visit on Oct 7, 2015. The first visit of this kind in the history of the two states has marked 66 years of diplomatic ties. Chinese Navy destroyer Jinan 152, frigate Yiyang 548 and the Qiandaohu supply ship are on a
British trainee aviators have been trying to find their sea legs during a six week training exercise to see if they have got what it takes to fly at sea. The trainee aircrew from 824 Naval Air Squadron are about to be awarded with their Wings – but only if they pass the final, and most […]
Royal Navy’s HMS Daring (D32) has departed the Channel Islands following a port visit to her affiliated island of Guernsey. The visit marked the first time in over four years that Daring had visited Guernsey and included a busy programme including a Reception Capability Demonstration and Ship’s tour
Irish frigate LÉ Samuel Beckett transferred 474 rescued people, to the port of Vibo, Italy, Oct 7. Having rescued 242 persons from a wooden barge on Monday, October 5, the LÉ Samuel Beckett was subsequently tasked with taking the transfer of a further 232 persons who had been rescued by the Italian
The French frigate FS COURBET and the German FGS SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN have been taking part in a complex rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea from October 7. The German frigate FGS SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN, together with the Italian Ship ITS AVIERE belonging to the “Mare Sicuro” mission, was firstly
The waters lap the hull of Britain’s ‘capital ship’ for the first time in 11 months as HMS Westminster passes a milestone in a major overhaul. Since November last year, the frigate has been sitting on blocks in the recently-refurbished No.15 dock in Portsmouth Naval Base while engineers from BAE Sys