With four new participants, the number of countries taking part in RIMPAC, the world’s largest international maritime exercise, rose to 27. 45 ships, five submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise scheduled June 30 t
Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 held a ‘Spanish’ flagship change as one Alvaro de Bazan frigate replaced another on May 27. ESPS Mendez Nunez (F-104) took over as flag ship from ESPS Alvaro de Bazan. ESPS Alvaro de Bazan’s service as flagship of SNMG1 began December the 18, 2015 in Cartagena, Spain,
Atlas Elektronik UK, a joint company of ThyssenKrupp and Airbus DS, will present its unmanned mine hunting mission system, ARCIMS, at the Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior demonstration scheduled for October 2016. The Unmanned Warrior serves as a platform for UK companies to showcase their maritime auto
U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Winson held a change of command ceremony on the flight deck at its homeport in Naval Base San Diego. Capt. Douglas C. Verissimo relieved Capt. Karl O. Thomas as commanding officer during the May 31 ceremony. Rear Adm. James T. Loeblein, commander, C
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have kicked off the Malaysia phase of the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series between the U.S. and the armed forces of nine ASEAN member-countries. CARAT is a series of bilateral naval exercises between the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Co
Open Spirit 2016 participants were able to utilize their minehunting skills as they destroyed mines and other sea obstacles which posed a threat to Baltic Sea shipping lanes for decades. The international NATO maneuver which took place off Klaipeda, Lithuania concluded May 27. Minehunting units have
Spanish Navy’s Santa María-class frigate ‘Numancia’ (F-83) returned to Rota Naval Base after a four-month deployment to Operation Sophia in the central Mediterranean Sea. During her EUNAVFOR MED deployment, the Numancia took part in six rescue operations saving the lives of more than 1,200 people. T
Royal Navy’s HMS Bulwark arrived alongside in Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkney Islands, to take part in the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland. Fleet flagship HMS Bulwark will be supporting the Jutland 100 national commemorations at Kirkwall and at Lyness Cemetery wit
Sailors aboard the Italian Navy’s Horizon-class air-defence destroyer Andrea Doria launched their first MU90 torpedo in the Gulf of Taranto, May 24, 2016. During the exercise, a fictional sonar contact is included on the combat system management computer (CMS). Once the contact appears, the weapon s
The United States Committee on Appropriations has approved the FY2017 Defense Appropriations Bill which includes $1.0 billion in Navy shipbuilding funds to build the first USCG-operated icebreaker since FY1990. The United States currently relies on just one heavy vessel and one medium vessel, one of
Two U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyers, USS Decatur (DDG 73) and USS Momsen (DDG 92) conducted bilateral exercises with the Republic of Korea Navy in the waters around the Korean Peninsula, May 20-22 and 25. Over the course of several days, the two countries performed various evolutions, such as
Russian shipyard Zelenodolsk plant named after AM Gorky has launched the fourth Gepard-3.9 frigate, the second ship of the second pair of orders built for the Vietnam Navy. The ceremony, held at the company’s shipyard in Republic of Tatarstan, Russia on May 26, was attended by the Navy Commissioner
Ships from the People’s Liberation Army Navy 22nd Escort Task Group came alongside in Simon’s Town, South Africa for a formal visit from May 16-20, 2016. The visiting group was constituted by Luhu-class destroyer Qingdao, Jiangkai II-class frigate, Daqing and the Taihu replenishment ship, Taihu. The
Royal Navy ship Enterprise worked with the German frigate FGS Karlsruhe on May 24 to save 294 migrants some 90 km northwest of Tripoli, Libya. Karlsruhe pulled a total of 289 persons from two rubber boats, 95 women and four children. The German ship additionally embarked five migrants from HMS Enter
