Capt. Francis X. Castellano relieved Capt. Robert D. Katz as commanding officer of guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) during a change-of-command ceremony, April 17. Katz commanded Vella Gulf during a six-month deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. While deployed, Vella Gulf
It’s game time! The Planned Incremental Availability, or PIA, is finally over and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and her crew will take to the high seas with an unprecedented level of readiness. Since completing RIMPAC in July 2014, Ronald Reagan’s time and energy has been spent preparing for what’s on
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57) hosted Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Vice Adm. James Foggo III during a scheduled port visit in Livorno, Italy, April 20, 2015. USS Mitscher Commanding Officer Cmdr. Milciades “Tony” Then welcomed Foggo, who was accompanied by
Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 8 held a change of command ceremony at Norfolk Naval Station, April 17. Rear Adm. Victorino G. Mercado was relieved by Rear Adm. Bret C. Batchelder as commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, which includes the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group. Mercado assumed command of CSG
The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), escorted by the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60), transited the Strait of Hormuz from its station in the Arabian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, April 19. Theodore Roosevelt and Normandy have joined other U.S. forces conducting maritime secur
Royal Navy minehunter HMS Quorn sailed from Portsmouth today, April 20, bound for Glasgow, where she will rendezvous with a NATO task group destined for the Baltic Sea. She will join Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Squadron 1 (SNMCMG1), a multinational force of minehunters conducting exercises in
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) arrived in Port Victoria, Seychelles for a scheduled port visit April. 17, 2015. This port visit serves to continue U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet’s efforts to build maritime partnerships with African nations,
In the waters of the Ionian Sea, Italian and French units recently engaged in joint exercises. The two vessels, Italian Navy’s frigate Espero F576 and French Navy’s corvette Commandant Birot F796, together worked on improving the procedures and tactics of combating illicit activities at sea. These d
Royal Navy Type 45 Air Defence Destroyer HMS Defender will sail into London on Wednesday, 22 April for a six day visit. She will be joined by minehunter HMS Middleton on Friday, 24 April. Both ships are in London in support of the Centenary of the Gallipoli campaign and will be moored off Greenwich
The US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) pulls alongside the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE 13) before a replenishment-at-sea. The operation was conducted on April 15, while the vessels were in the Atlantic Ocean. Porter is participa
Indian Navy vessel INS Tarkash, which participated in the Operation Rahat, returned to Mumbai harbour on April 18, while INS Mumbai had entered on 16 April 15. Earlier this year, a raging civil war in Yemen has left thousands of people homeless and stranded. With the situation in the country deterio
Australian Navy’s HMAS Warramunga returned to the water on 8 April after over a year out of the water in upgrade. Warramunga is the fourth Anzac class frigate to undergo the Anti-Ship Missile Defence upgrade program, a world class program that provides an enhanced sensor and weapons systems capabili
The Royal Australian Navy helicopter frigate HMAS Anzac arrived in Souda Bay on the island of Crete in Greece on 18 April as part of its deployment on NORTHERN TRIDENT 2015. Anzac departed Sydney on 15 March, and has transited the Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean, Red Sea and the Suez Canal before arriv
Officials from the U.S. and Canada welcomed back a U.S. Coast Guard cutter with more than 28,000 pounds of cocaine on Thursday as allied forces set record drug seizure rates in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and Royal Canadian Navy ships have seized more cocaine in the last six mo
