Surface Vessels
First River-class OPV HMS Forth arrives home
The Royal Navy’s first Batch-2 River-class offshore patrol vessel HMS Forth arrived in her new homeport at Portsmouth Naval Base on February 26. She is the first of five vessels in the class, designed for counter-piracy, anti-smuggling, fishery protection, border patrol, counter terrorism and mariti
French ECA Group presents mid-sized mine warfare AUV ‘A18-M’
French autonomous systems developer ECA Group recently unveiled and demonstrated its new mid-sized mine counter measure autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), the A18-M. A live demonstration of the company’s new AUV family member took place off Toulon, Southern France, on February 16. According to the
US destroyers continue Black Sea patrol after Bulgaria, Romania visits
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Carney (DDG 64) and USS Ross (DDG 71) are underway in the Black Sea again after completing port calls in Varna, Bulgaria, and Constanta, Romania, respectively. The two destroyers entered the Black Sea transiting the Bosphorus two days apart on February 17
Russian “spy ship task group” reaches North Sea
After entering the Atlantic Ocean on their return home from Mediterranean tasking on February 19, a Russian task group composed of three ships has now passed the English Channel. The Royal Navy announced on February 22 that it deployed patrol ship HMS Mersey and a Wildcat helicopter from RNAS Yeovil
Royal Navy frigate stops in Adelaide on Australia tour
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland stopped in Adelaide on February 23, for a visit as part of her tour of Australia tour. Sutherland is on a seven-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific to strengthen defense ties, as well as promote stability and security through combined naval operations and
NATO minehunters discover WWII mines in Oslo Fjord
Mine countermeasure ships deployed to NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) worked with the the Royal Norwegian Navy recently to locate WWII ordnance in the waters of Oslo Fjord. The group detected a total of 23 mines from and four torpedoes over the last two weeks. Conducting min
German Navy corvette deploying to SNMG1
German Navy’s Braunschweig-class corvette FGS Erfurt is scheduled to get underway from her Warnemünde homeport on February 26 to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1). The corvette will spend most of her time in the North and Baltic Seas where SNMG1 regularly operates. Erfurt’s deployment
Qatar Coast Guard’s first 48-meter patrol boat completes sea trials
Turkish shipbuilder ARES has completed sea trials for the first of two 48-meter patrol boats designed and built for the Qatar Coast Guard. The vessels were designed by UK-based BMT who have partnered with ARES Shipyard (ARES) to design and build 17 patrol boats from advanced composites in 36 months,
Cammell Laird, BAE Systems focusing on exports for Type 31e frigate
UK shipbuilder Cammell Laird is working hard to secure the bid to build a new class of Royal Navy frigates, the Type 31e. The company is teamed with BAE Systems on the project and is already working to establish a supplier base for the construction. During a “supplier conference”, organized together
Germany’s third F125 frigate ‘Sachsen Anhalt’ begins builder’s trials
Future FGS Sachsen Anhalt, the German Navy’s third F125 class frigate, set sail for first time on February 22 for a series of in-port trials. During the next two weeks, shipbuilders and navy officials will test the ship’s technical systems and equipment, including its propulsion system, maneuvering
HMS Forth en route to Portsmouth homeport
HMS Forth, the first of five new Royal Navy patrol vessels, has started a journey to her new homeport in Portsmouth after completing sea trials. The ship got underway February 21, setting sail from Glasgow where it was built by BAE Systems. Designed for counter-piracy, anti-smuggling, fishery protec
Iwo Jima ARG ships enter US 6th Fleet area of operations
US Navy ships from the Iwo Jima amphibious ready group (ARG) entered the US 6th Fleet area of operations together with embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) on February 21. While in theater, the blue-green team’s 4,500 sailors and marines will train with international militaries “Being in th
German minehunter FGS Bad Bevensen joining SNMCMG1
German Navy’s Frankenthal-class mine hunter FGS Bad Bevensen is scheduled to depart its Kiel homeport on February 25 to join the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 1 (SNMCMG1). The minehunter will spend the next five months operating in the North and Baltic Seas. FGS Bad Bevensen will be unde
Rolls-Royce to provide low noise propellers for Royal Navy Type 26 ASW frigates
BAE Systems has awarded propulsion systems specialist Rolls-Royce two contracts to supply low-noise propellers and mission bay handling technologies for the first three Royal Navy Type 26 frigates. The first Type 26 is currently under construction at the BAE Systems shipyard in Glasgow. The Rolls-Ro