The U.S. Navy fired the commanding officer of the Japan-based Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam after the ship ran aground on January 31 in waters near Yokosuka, Japan. Capt. Joseph Carrigan was relieved on March 1 by Rear Adm. Charles Williams, commander, Task Force 70, followin
U.S. Navy sailors and marines assigned to ships from the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (BAT ARG) deployed for operations in Europe and the Middle East. Amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) deployed from Naval Station Norfolk on February 24 and amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hal
The United Arab Emirates Navy selected French defense technology company Thales to provide improved electronic warfare, anti-submarine warfare as well as security and surveillance capabilities to its forces at the 2017 NAVDEX exhibition in Dubai. The UAE Navy also announced a contract for the purcha
Spanish Navy offshore patrol vessel Vigía set sail from Cadiz to conduct a series of activities in Africa as part of the Spanish government’s Defense Diplomacy Plan and a follow-on of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) initiative. These deployments are intended to enhance maritime security and to
Two Royal Navy Merlins have embarked French amphibious assault ship FS Mistral, the lead ship of French Navy task group, for the French annual Jeanne d’Arc deployment. The five-month amphibious deployment will take the force – which includes the frigate Courbet – as far east as Japan and Guam, as fa
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
