Surface Vessels
UK: Royal Navy to Commission HMS Dragon on Friday 20th
HMS Dragon will formally take her place alongside her older sisters as the fourth of the Royal Navy’s new Type 45 destroyers is commissioned into the Fleet on Friday (April 20th). Hundreds of guests including families of the 190 ship’s company will attend a colourful ‘Christening’ ceremony at Portsm
Pacific Fleet Task Force Sets Course for Yellow Sea
Pacific Fleet (PF) task force comprising Guards missile cruiser Varyag, destroyers Marshal Shaposhnikov, Admiral Vinogradov, and salvage tug SB-522 left bases setting a course for the Yellow Sea. There it will meet destroyer Admiral Tributs, tanker Pechenga, and seagoing tug MB-37 heading from the G
Ships of BS Naval Cooperation Task Group Arrive in Sevastopol, Ukraine
Ships of Black Sea Naval Cooperation Task Group (BLACKSEAFOR) on Apr 13 arrived in Sevastopol. Leaving Romanian Constanta, crew of the BLACKSEAFOR flagship – Russia’s Black Sea Fleet (BSF) large landing ship Caesar Kunikov – paid military honors to destroyer leader Moskva perished off Romania in 194
HMS Westminster Intercepts Suspicious Dhow in Indian Ocean
£14m of drugs used to fund terrorist activity will never reach their destination thanks to a major bust by HMS Westminster. The Portsmouth-based warship intercepted a suspicious dhow in the Indian Ocean, seizing over 70 bales containing more than 180kg of pure heroin. The Portsmouth-based frigate po
France Tests Ship Defense with U.S. Navy’s SSST
As part of a foreign military sales case, the U.S. Navy worked together with French military to execute France’s first aerial-target live-fire event using a GQM-163A Coyote Supersonic Sea Skimming Target (SSST), or missile, on April 4. France’s military procurement agency Direction Generale Pour L’A
UK: Naval Forces Converge on Scotland for Joint Warrior Exercise
Warships from across the globe – including a dozen Royal Navy warships, submarines and auxiliaries – are converging on Scotland for the largest military exercise staged in home waters in many years. Thirty two naval units, plus soldiers and air forces – some 8,000 personnel in all from eight nations
Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard Intercepts Stash of 91 Kilos of Drugs
On 4 April, the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard intercepted a stash of 91 kilos of drugs near Curaçao. Earlier, on 20 March, 500 kilograms of cocaine had been found on a so-called go-fast boat in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea. These seizures were made during an operation led by the Royal
UK: HMS Middleton Demonstrates Minehunting Prowess
HMS Middleton demonstrated her minehunting prowess during an exercise with the US Navy – finding a grand total of 13 dummy mines in the Gulf. The two Allied navies worked hand-in-hand for ten days – just one important episode in a busy month for Bahrain-based Middleton And despite the trompe-l’œil o
HNLMS Van Amstel Officially Starts Counterpiracy Mission
After passing through the Suez Canal on 1 April, the multipurpose frigate HNLMS Van Amstel officially began its participation in EU Operation Atalanta. The Van Amstel will contribute to the mission against pirates operating off the coast of East Africa up to the end of May 2012.Operation Atalanta is
HMS Westminster’s Pirate-Busters Train with Kenyan Counterparts
HMS Westminster’s pirate-busters trained with their Kenyan counterparts when the Portsmouth warship visited the great port of Mombasa. As well as exercising with local forces, the frigate was used to promote trade between the UK and East Africa and launched an initiative by Anglo-Kenyan authorities
Dutch Ships to Track Pirate Camps on Somali Coast?
Pirate camps on the Somali coast may now also be tackled from Dutch ships. The Dutch Government approved the expansion of the Atalanta counterpiracy mission and informed the House of Representatives of the decision on 6 April. However, military personnel will not set foot on land for the purposes of
Royal Netherlands Navy Receives OPV
On Wednesday 11 April, in Harlingen the third of four Holland Class Oceangoing Patrol Vessels, “Friesland” built by Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding for the Royal Netherlands Navy, was transferred to the Defence Materiel Organization of the Ministry of Defence of the Netherlands. After delivery the
Qatar: HMS Daring Attends DIMDEX
HMS Daring has flown the flag for the Royal Navy – and UK industry – at the biggest naval showcase in the Middle East. Britain’s most advanced warship, on her maiden deployment, was joined by minehunter HMS Quorn in Qatar at the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference. HMS Dari
UK: HMS Defender Almost Ready to Sign for Navy
The fifth of Britain’s Type 45 destroyers is ‘tuned to optimum performance’ after completing her second period of sea trials off Scotland. HMS Defender spent nearly a month off the Scottish coast testing her combat systems and sensors ahead of her impending handover to the Royal Navy. HMS Defender i