Commander Robert Shu relieved Commander Christopher England as the commanding officer of the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) during a change of command ceremony at Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY), December 15. England was Fitzgerald’s comma
The Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri launched ‘Luigi Rizzo’, the sixth of overall ten Multi Mission European Frigates (FREMM) at the Riva Trigoso shipyard in Italy on December 19. Fincantieri is building the 10 FREMM vessels for the Italian Navy within the framework of an Italo-French cooper
The French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle (R 91) took charge of U.S. Navy’s Commander Task Force 50 on December 20 to conduct first airstrikes against ISIL as the CTF 50 flagship. When the FS Charles de Gaulle entered what is known as the U.S. 5th fleet area of operations on December 7, it [&
The Swedish defence and security company Saab announced December 18 that it signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Material Administration for the yearly overhaul and modification of the Swedish Navy’s Stockholm-class corvettes. The two Swedish Navy vessels are HMS Stockholm and HMS Malmö. The a
The U.S. Navy announced the christening ceremony of the newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship, USS Omaha (LCS 12), that will take place in Mobile, Alabama, December 19. Omaha, designated LCS 12, honors the city of Omaha, Nebraska. Ray Mabus, secretary of the Navy, who will serve as princi
HMS Lancaster, the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate, returned to Portsmouth December 17 from a nine-month deployment to the North and South Atlantic. The frigate has steamed more than 35,000 nautical miles across four oceans and has visited 23 ports in 18 countries. She was also the first Royal Navy ves
The U.S. Navy’s future DDG 51 destroyer, USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) started its Aegis Combat System testing at the Bath Iron Works (BIW) shipyard, December 17. The Aegis system light off marks the beginning of combat system testing for the ship. These tests will ensure all combat system equipment
The Australian Minister for Defence, Senator Marise Payne, paid a visit to Austal’s Western Australian shipyard on Wednesday, December 16. The minister toured the shipyard to take a look at the company’s naval vessel design, construction and sustainment capabilities. The Defence Minister’s delegatio
The German frigate FGS Hamburg will return to her homeport in Wilhelmshaven, Germany after spending six months as a NATO unit flagship on December 20. Hamburg was flagship of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2. The 200 men and women of the FGS Hamburg were commanded by Rear Admiral Jörg Klein, who w
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer, HMS Defender, has now officially joined the French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle in the Middle East in the fight against Daesh. The warship met with the carrier in the Indian Ocean with the goal of enhancing its capabilities in the fight against terrorist grou
The German frigate is currently on a mission to support the French aircraft carrier in his efforts against the Islamic State terror group in Syria. The two ships recently conducted a replenishment at sea maneuver with the U.S Navy’s replenishment oiler USNS Laramie. After the maneuver was complete,
Indian prime minister Shri Narendra Modi chose the Indian Navy aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya as the venue of the Combined Commanders’ Conference 2015. The minister was introduced to top army, naval and air commanders in waters off the Kerala coast, India. The Combined Commanders’ Conference is a
EUNAVFOR Med operation Sophia air units have recently been augmented by the Hellenic Air Force aircraft Erieye EMB-145H AEW&C and a Spanish Navy AB-212 Helicopter. The Greek aircraft, based in the Hellenic Air Force Base of Elefsis in Greece, is an airborne Command and Control Platform with the capa
Two rubber boats, sailing in poor conditions in the Mediterranean Sea, were spotted in the morning of December 14 by a Spanish P3 Orion patrol aircraft deployed to Operation Sophia. The Slovenian corvette SNS Triglav 11, operating within Operation Sophia since October this year, was asked to interve
