Surface Vessels
US-UK exercise Saxon Warrior concludes
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
New UK minehunter duo starts three-year Bahrain stint
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 Gowind patrol vessel L’Adroit concludes Op Sophia deployment
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
US, British aircraft carriers meet off Scotland
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
HMCS Charlottetown sets sail for Europe and NATO SNMG1 integration
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 joining NATO’s SNMG1
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
UK aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth arriving home next week
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
Royal Navy Merlins complete five-month stint aboard FS Mistral
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
Qatar signs €5 billion warship deal amid sanctions row
A €5 billion deal between Italy and Qatar for the construction of seven navy vessels is now official following an announcement made by Qatar’s foreign minister on Wednesday. “I am pleased to announce the conclusion of a deal between the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces to buy seven naval units from Italy i
NATO SNMG1 joins UK-US carrier-centric drill Saxon Warrior
When the joint UK-US exercise Saxon Warrior kicked off in waters north of Scotland on August 1, 9000 NATO-sailors on 15 warships got underway for the drills. In addition to U.S. and Royal Navy assets, the exercise is joined by the flagship of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1, the Norwegian Navy frig
Australian sailors visit US Coast Guard’s ‘ship in a box’ facility in Bahrain
The boarding party of Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Newcastle trained with the United States Coast Guard members during the frigate’s first port visit while deployed in the Middle East. Australian personnel completed a five-day course delivered by the Coast Guard at the Naval Support Activity i
Royal Navy celebrates 100 years of carrier aviation
The Royal Navy marked hundred years of aircraft carrier operations with a Merlin Mk2 helicopter landing and taking off from the flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth on August 2. On a clear but windy day at Scapa Flow, pilots Lieutenant Greg Weal and Lieutenant Nick Allen flew their 14-tonne helicopter
Germany deploys frigate to Mediterranean migrant rescue mission
Germany is sending its F123 frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to the Mediterranean Sea and EU’s migrant-rescue operation Sophia. The Brandenburg-class frigate is set to depart the German Willhelmshaven navy base on August 7 to join the mission for the second time. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern previously cont
Babcock, BAE bag £170m worth of Royal Navy contracts
The UK defence ministry’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) office signed a seven-year contract with Babcock International Group to keep Royal Navy ships supplied with items essential for day-to-day maintenance and operations. The contract, announced by defence minister Harriett Baldwin in Portsm