The German Navy’s F122, Bremen-class frigate FGS ‘Lübeck’ is joining NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 in the Aegean Sea. Setting sail on August 21, Lübeck will be replacing another German ship, F123 frigate FGS Brandenburg, which spent six months as the flagship of the international task group. Comm
HMS Queen Elizabeth, the first of two new Royal Navy aircraft carriers is entering her future homeport of HM Naval Base Portsmouth for the first time. The 65,000-tonne carrier is entering Portsmouth after setting sail for sea trials from Scotland’s Rosyth dockyard in June. More than 700 sailors, led
The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) pulled into Theoule Sur Mer, France, for a scheduled port visit on August 14. During Oscar Austin’s first time in Theoule Sur Mer, the crew will participate in events commemorating the liberation of southern France
HMS Queen Elizabeth will be entering Portsmouth Naval Base on Wednesday, the Royal Navy has announced. Weather consideration have prompted the Royal Navy to set the arrival of Britain’s new aircraft carrier to its homeport a bit earlier than expected. The UK defense ministry last week announced that
Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Cristóbal Colón (F-105) returned home to Naval Base Ferrol, Spain, on August 10 after spending three month in Australia where the ship’s crew helped prepare Australian sailors to operate the Aegis combat system. Just the like the future HMAS Hobart, the first of three new a
The French Navy’s La Fayette-class frigate FS Surcouf returned to her homeport at Toulon naval base on August 10 completing a three-month counter-piracy deployment. Surcouf spent over 120 days with the Combined Maritime Forces’ CTF 150 patrolling the Indian Ocean intercepting traffickers between the
The joint US-UK exercise Saxon Warrior, held in waters off Scotland, concluded on August 10 after ten days of drills. Surface combatants from the UK, US and Norway joined the US Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush as the Royal Navy is preparing to revive its carrier strike capability. At one
Two Royal Navy mine countermeasure vessels arrived in Oman recently to relieve two of their counterparts who spent the last three years forward-deployed to Bahrain. Returning home to the UK are HMS Penzance (bound for Faslane) and HMS Chiddingfold (Portsmouth) after completing their three-year stint
French Navy Gowind-class patrol vessel FS L’Adroit has concluded a month-long deployment to the Mediterranean Sea where it helped tackle the migrant crisis off the coast of Libya under the EU-led operation Sophia. FS L’Adroit provided support to the operation, contributing to deter the illegal traff
Two aircraft carriers, one operational since 2009 and the other preparing for its commissioning ceremony, met off the coast of Scotland during the UK-hosted exercise Saxon Warrior. HMS Queen Elizabeth met up with the USS George HW Bush and her carrier strike group during a series of war games which
Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Charlottetown left her homeport in Halifax and headed for Europe where she will join navy ships from several countries for a six-month deployment to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1. On her second deployment under the Canadian Navy’s operation Reassurance, HMCS Charl
Portuguese Navy frigate NRP Francisco de Almeida (F334) departed its homeport of Lisbon Naval Base on August 6 to join NATO’s standing maritime group 1 (SNMG1). The former Karel Doorman-class frigate will join units from Canada, Netherlands, Denmark, Spain and Norway for operations in the North and
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is expected to enter her new home in Portsmouth as soon as next Thursday, August 17, UK defense secretary Michael Fallon announced. The biggest warship Britain has ever built left Scotland’s Rosyth dockyard in June to complete trials before entering it
A group of Royal Navy sailors and marines together with two Royal Navy Merlin Mk3 helicopters spent the past five months deployed aboard the French helicopter carrier FS Mistral during its Jeanne D’Arc mission. FS Mistral, together with frigate FS Courbet, embarked Royal Navy personnel in March for
