The US Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Billings (LCS 15) during a ceremony at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), shipyard, Marinette, Wisconsin, February 1. The future USS Billings is the 17th littoral combat ship (LCS) to be delivered to the Navy and the eighth of the Freedom variant
The US Navy’s 36th littoral combat ship will be named USS Kingsville (LCS 36) in honor of the city of Kingsville, Texas, Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer has announced. The Independence-variant is the first US Navy ship to bear the name. “I am pleased to name a future Independence-variant LC
After becoming the first Royal Navy ship to visit Auckland, New Zealand, in 20 years, Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose visited Darwin, Australia. Continuing a trend, the frigate became the first Royal Navy warship in a decade to visit Australia’s northernmost and remotest city. The Plymouth-based warshi
US Navy Vice Adm. Andrew “Woody” Lewis, the US 2nd Fleet (C2F) Commander, embarked the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), marking the first time the fleet has executed command and control over forces at sea. Lewis was aboard the carrier from January 31 through February 1. Un
Ships form the navies of Spain, Italy, and the US got underway from the French naval base in Toulon on February 3 to join the French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle and ships form its carrier strike group on their final pre-deployment exercise. The carrier is on the final leg of deployment pre
The Canadian government has awarded General Dynamics Misssion Systems a CAD186 million contract for upgrades and maintenance of underwater sensors on Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigates. The majority of this work will occur in Canada, creating and maintaining about 120 highly skilled jobs w
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Ballarat has seized more than 2.1 tonnes of hashish and 345 kilograms of heroin in two boarding operations in the Arabian Sea. The Australian Navy said the seizures were worth approximately AU$105 million and AU$103.5 million respectively. The interceptions took pl
Shipbuilder General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) on February 1 hosted a keel laying ceremony for the future USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) at its shipyard in Bath, Maine. Sen. Levin and the ship’s sponsors, his three daughters, Kate Levin Markel, Erica Levin, and Laura Levin, authenticated the keel b
German-based technology company Atlas is offering a set of mine countermeasures (MCM) systems for a new class of minehunters that are to be built for the Belgian and Dutch Navy. The current minehunters operated by Belgium and the Netherlands were integrated by Atlas Elektronik and are equipped with
The US Navy has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS) a contract for the construction of two new Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 80 and CVN 81, in a bid to achieve cost savings by ordering the two ships at once. As per the navy, the savings exceed $4 b
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group ONE (SNMG1) are on a scheduled port visit in Bergen where thy are finalizing planning for Allied Maritime Command led exercise Dynamic Guard 19-1. Hosted by Norway, Dynamic Guard is a multi-national exercise, merged with Norwegian led exercise TG 19-1 and ai
The US Navy’s 34th littoral combat ship will be named USS Augusta (LCS 34), Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced on Thursday. The Independence-variant LCS is named in honor of the capital city of Maine, and is the sixth vessel to bear the name Augusta. “It is an honor to name the next
Estonian Navy minehunter EML Admiral Cowan received a series of upgrades during a dry dock period in Fife, Scotland, Babcock International – the company in charge of the upgrades announced. Admiral Cowan is the Estonian Navy flagship and the first of three Estonian Navy minehunter vessels scheduled
Just weeks after Royal Navy support ship RFA Mounts Bay embarked US Coast Guard personnel for counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean, the team found their first contraband. The Bay-class ship embarked a Dolphin helicopter from the US Coast Guard’s HITRON – Helicopter Interdiction Tactical squ
