Surface Vessels
Amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima deploys to Europe and Middle East
US Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) got underway from Naval Station Mayport, Florida, on February 7 to lead a three-ship group on a deployment to Europe and Middle East. With more than 2,500 sailors and marines aboard, USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) will spend the next six months as the lea
HMS Queen Elizabeth arrives in Gibraltar on first overseas visit
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth pulled into Gibraltar on Friday morning for her first ever overseas port visit. The visit will be a logistical one for the 65,000-tonne future flagship which left her home in Portsmouth last week for helicopter trials. These helicopter trials take plac
Turkish minehunter finds historic mine in Black Sea
A Turkish Navy minehunter deployed to NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2) discovered a historic mine during routine training in the Black Sea on February 7. According to NATO Maritime Command, minehunter TCG Akcay discovered the mine using her mine hunting sonar to scan the sea
TKMS cuts steel for first Israeli Sa’ar 6-class corvette
Construction of a new class of Israeli Navy corvettes started in Germany on February 7, with a steel-cutting ceremony at the Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems shipyard in Kiel. The high profile ceremony was attended by the head of the Israeli Navy, Admiral Eli Sharvit, and German Navy inspector Vice-admir
Keel laid for Turkish landing helicopter dock TCG Anadolu
Turkish shipbuilder Sedef has held a keel-laying ceremony for the Turkish Navy amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu at its shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul. Once commissioned, the landing helicopter dock will be the first of its kind in the Turkish Navy. It is designed by Navantia and based on the Spanish
Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose flexes guns on Norwegian range
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose recently visited the NATO weapon and sensor range at Stavanger, in southern Norway, for a week of weapons and sensors checks. The ship arrived for a weekend alongside in Stavanger and after a day of harbour checks, went to sea on the test range for 3 days, w
HMS Albion sets sail for NATO deployment
HMS Albion, the Royal Navy’s recently refurbished amphibious assault ship, deployed on Tuesday to become flagsip of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2). The ship sailed from Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth and will operate in the Mediterranean for five months. Captain Tim Neild, HMS Albion com
Finland seeks Harpoon, ESSM missiles for new corvettes, missile boat upgrades
Finland is looking to acquire a total of $730 million worth of US-built missiles for its future multi-role corvettes and for the upgrade of its Hamina-class missile boats. The US State Department approved the possible sale on Monday, which, if realized, would be the first time Finland has bought eit
HMS Queen Elizabeth achieves another first by embarking air squadron
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth embarked 820 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) on February 5 in what is the first time that any squadron has embarked the ship. The Merlin Mk 2 helicopters of 820 NAS have been working with the ship since she sailed for the first time from Rosyth in June last [
Fincantieri launches eighth Italian FREMM frigate Antonio Marceglia
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri launched the Italian Navy’s eighth FREMM frigate ‘Antonio Marceglia’ (F-597) at its Riva Trigoso shipyard in Genoa on February 3. The eighth of a series of 10 FREMM vessels was launched during a ceremony attended by Italian defense minister Roberta Pinotti and, on beh
Harry S. Truman carrier strike group begins final pre-deployment exercise
US Navy ships centered around the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group (HST CSG) got underway on February 1 to start the composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX), their final pre-deployment exercise. COMPTUEX is an intensive, month-long drilldesigned to fully integrate units of HST CSG, while tes
HMS Ocean on farewell visit to Portsmouth
The soon-to-be-decommissioned Royal Navy fleet flagship HMS Ocean arrived at Portsmouth Naval Base on February 2 on a farewell visit. The helicopter carrier and assault ship arrived just after dawn to pay a visit to the city before returning to her homeport of Devonport, Plymouth for the final time
French frigate Chevalier Paul wraps up counter-Daesh operations with USS Theodore Rossevelt
French Navy air-defense frigate FS Chevalier Paul has concluded three weeks of counter-Daesh operations in the Persian Gulf with the US carrier strike group centered around aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. During her time with the carrier strike group, Chevalier Paul provided air defense for
Royal Navy amphibious assault ship HMS Albion deploying for first time in seven years
After spending four years in mothballs and another two undergoing a £90m refit, the Royal Navy’s amphibious assault ship HMS Albion is deploying early next week to become the flagship of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2. “It is a huge privilege for us to fly the flag of the NATO task group commander