The keel for the Irish Navy’s fourth Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessel was laid in Babcock’s Appledore shipyard on February 28. Named after Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, the vessel will have pennant number P64. It is being built under a contract signed between the Irish ministry of
Austrian Jagdkommandos, an Austrian Armed Forces’ Special Operations group, will embark German Navy tender ‘Main’ on March 2 to support EU’s counter-smuggling mission in the Mediterranean Sea. An official send-off ceremony for the Jagdkommandos took place in the Roßauer barracks in Vienna on Februar
German Navy’s K130 corvette Ludwigshafen am Rhein left her homeport of Warnemünde on February 28 to join her Swedish Navy counterpart for Baltic Sea drills. The Royal Swedish Navy is represented by the Visby-class corvette HMS Härnösand. Sweden is not a NATO member but regularly takes part in exerci
Spanish Navy frigate Reina Sofía (F-84) departed naval base Rota on February 27 to integrate into the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1). During the two and a half-month mission, the Spanish frigate will participate in several training activities with other NATO units, among them exercise Join
The U.S. Navy hosted Coast Guard personnel for an 18-day joint mission in the Central and South Pacific to combat transnational crimes, enforce fisheries laws and enhance regional security. Under the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative, Coast Guard law enforcement detachment 103 from Pacific Tactic
A Spanish Navy frigate and an auxiliary oiler left their home port in Ferrol, Spain, last weekend to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 in the Mediterranean Sea. Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate Méndez Núñez and oiler AOR Patiño will become part of SNMG2’s Task Unit 02 (TU.02), currently under com
The U.S. Navy has decided to recall an August 2016 Request for Proposal for the commercial recycling of the non-nuclear portions of ex-USS Enterprise (CVN 65), noting that it needs more time to evaluate the best way to recycle the ship. The navy said it requires more information to determine the app
Rolls-Royce will be providing propulsion gear for the U.S. Coast Guard’s new offshore patrol cutters, the company announced on February 28. Eastern Shipbuilding Group, the prime contractor on the program, selected Rolls-Royce equipment for the USCG OPC fleet’s first nine vessels, with an option to a
The U.S. Coast Guard said it offloaded approximately 4.2 tons of seized cocaine, worth an estimated $125 million at Coast Guard Sector San Juan on Monday. This interdiction is the largest maritime seizure in the Atlantic since 1999 and was the result of ongoing, multi-agency and international law en
U.S. Navy littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) returned to Changi Naval Base in Singapore, Feb. 25 following a port call in Muara, Brunei and routine patrols in the Sulu Sea and South China Sea. After completing the four-day port visit in Brunei, Coronado conducted a passing exercise and visit,
The lead ship of Russian Navy’s Project 11356 frigates, Admiral Grigorovich, left its homeport in Sevastopol on Monday and headed for the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced. Admiral Grigorovich is set to join a Russian Navy group that is operating in the region, the ministr
The Iranian Navy has tested the latest version of the home-made Nasr missile during naval drills held in its territorial waters. According to Iranian English-language news agency Fars News, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the cruise missile’s accuracy was confirmed aft
Warships from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) made a port call in Trondheim, Norway after concluding exercises in the North Atlantic off the coast of Norway. The force led and participated in two multinational exercises over the past two weeks, with more than 12 ships from several countries
USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed amphibious assault ship, departed Sasebo, Japan for a regularly-scheduled patrol in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility on February 27. Bonhomme Richard is scheduled to finalize shipboard certifications and conduct joint force operation
