Republic of Korea Navy destroyer ROKS Choi Young will be joining operation Atalanta, an EU-led counter-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia, in March this year. The Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer will work with EU NAVFOR warships to prevent acts of piracy that plagued the waters off the c
U.S. Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), completed crew certification on February 16, following a three-day fast cruise. “It is the crew that brings the ship to life,” said Capt. Rick McCormack, Ford’s commanding officer. “The crew is at the heart of all that we d
Dredging works in Portsmouth Harbour have once again unearthed a wartime bomb that was detonated by Royal Navy’s bomb disposal experts on Friday morning. The British-made Armstrong Whitworth munition was found at 2am in the excavator head of a barge dredging the harbour. Dredgers have revealed at le
U.S. Navy’s Singapore-based littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) arrived in Brunei for the first scheduled port visit on its deployment on February 16. While in port Coronado will host multiple ship tours and put the embarked MH-60S Seahawk helicopter and MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter on
South African Navy frigate SAS Amatole visited Plymouth, UK, to mark the sinking of the South African troop ship Mendi 100 years ago off the Isle of Wight which coincides with the nation’s Armed Forces Day. Apart from the commemoration, SAS Amatola will spend a few weeks training with the Flag Offic
The Brazilian Navy has decided to decommission its aircraft carrier BNS Sao Paulo (A 12), 17 years after acquiring it from the French Navy in 2000. The reason for this decision, as the Brazilian news site DefesaNet reported, was the fact that cost of returning the aircraft carrier to an operational
Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis St Laurent, the country’s heaviest icebreaker, arrived in Quebec, Canada where it was dry-docked for a refit. Work on the refit and upgrades of CCGS Louis St Laurent will be undertaken by Davie Shipbuilding under a $14 million contract announced in January 2017. Durin
French Marine Nationale anti-air frigate FS Forbin (D620), which is currently part of Commander, Task Force (CTF) 50, assisted in the rescue of mariners from a sinking dhow in the Gulf of Oman on February 13. Having received word of a dhow taking on water, Forbin directed their helicopter, an NH90 w
The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair a $42 million contract for repair and alteration works on the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69). Under the contract, BAE Systems will perform what is termed as a special selected restricted availability (SSRA). An SSRA is schedu
Russian fighter jets flew “dangerously close” to the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Porter in the Black Sea in what was the first incident of this kind since the new U.S. president was sworn in. Russian aircraft performed three “unprofessional and unsafe” approaches at the USS Porter in a single day on Feb
Divers from the navies of U.S. and Australia met in Perth, Western Australia, for a round of mine counter measure drills recently. The United States Navy explosive ordnance disposal Mobile Unit Five flew from Guam to Perth to join Australian Clearance Diving Team Four and Australian Mine Warfare Tea
The U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and its embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 departed Guam after a scheduled four-day port visit, February 14. While in Guam, Carl Vinson sailors hosted distinguished visitors, toured local sites, and participated in community relations projects
Australian shipbuilder Austal launched the tenth Cape-class patrol boat for the Royal Australian Navy at its Henderson, Western Australia, shipyard on February 14. Future Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Inscription is the the second of two follow-on Cape-class boats that will be operated by the
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri marked the construction start of the first Italian Navy Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ship (PPA) with a steel cutting ceremony at its shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia) on February 13. The shipbuilder said the first of seven offshore patrol ships would be delivered in 20
