The Royal Navy’s Response Force Task Group (RFTG) has sailed through the Suez Canal on its way to operate in a number of countries as part of the long planned Cougar 13 deployment. The RFTG left UK waters in August briefly visiting Gibraltar, Rota, Lisbon and Palermo before arriving in Albania to co
Minehunter HMS Penzance has left Scotland to begin her stint with a NATO force patrolling the Mediterranean. Just three months after leaving refit on the Forth, the Faslane-based vessel is joining Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 2, taking over from HMS Ledbury. Just three months after emerging f
The Royal Naval frigate HMS Argyll is due to return to the South West on Thursday (12 Sept) after a successful maritime policing patrol. HMS Argyll’s deployment has seen the ship conduct a range of operations in the seas around Africa, the Falklands, the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean. This scope
Royal Navy mine hunter HMS Grimsby – which is home-ported HM Naval Base Clyde – will arrive in Inverness on Friday, September 13 for a short affiliation visit after circumnavigating the north coast of Scotland. The ship will arrive alongside at the city’s Longman Quay No.3 berth around 7am and, thou
HMS Dragon played with a dazzling array of air power in the Gulf – including a B1 bomber – as she tested her ability to direct a wealth of aircraft on to targets. The Type 45 destroyer linked up with US naval and air forces, including Hornet strike bombers, Apache gunships and drones to see [&hellip
Royal Navy warship HMS Ledbury has a new commanding officer, but links with a West Sussex village live on. Outgoing captain, Lieutenant Commander Justin Hains, has welcomed a childhood friend to take over the helm of the Portsmouth-based minehunter. After two years in charge Lt Cdr Hains has handed
On Saturday 7 September, two members of the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) warship FGS Niedersachsen were evacuated due to medical reasons to a hospital in Salalah, Oman. The ship had been conducting counter piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. The ship broke from counter-pira
On Monday, 9 September 2013, the ships of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) joined more than 40 ships, 10 helicopters, and 2500 participants from 15 nations in Exercise NORTHERN COASTS 2013. The annual exercise, which runs through September 19, follows a fictitious scenario in w
The Final Coordination Conference for the upcoming military exercises “Steadfast Jazz 2013” and “Baltic Host 2013” is currently underway in Riga, Latvia. The conference, which is taking place from the 9th – 11th September, includes over 250 participants from NATO military staff as well as participat
On Friday, 6 September 2013, three NATO ships assigned to Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group TWO (SNMCMG2) arrived in Batumi for a scheduled visit to the Black Sea port. Under the command of Commander Matthias Seipel, German Navy, the Group includes the flagship FGS MOSEL and FGS ROTTWEIL of
On Thursday 5 September, Spanish warship ESPS Meteoro, which is part of the European Union’s counter piracy Naval Force operating off the Horn of Africa, gave assistance to a Yemeni dhow, which had suffered steerage difficulties, with a faulty rudder. In the early morning, the ship’s SH60B helicopte
James Fisher Defence (JFD), the leading global sub-sea rescue, operations and engineering company, today announced the launch of its new range of Swimmer Delivery Vehicles (SDVs) known as The SEAL Pod. The launch further strengthens its Special Operations division as well as the breadth of products
Vice Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) for the Hellenic Navy visited HMS Illustrious on Friday 6 September while the Ship briefly visited Souda Bay, Crete for fuel and stores. Accompanied by Commodore Ionnes Korakakis, Director of Operations, Commodore Dimosthenis Chelmis, Co
Search and Rescue (SAR) officials from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have returned home after a week of pitting themselves against harsh Arctic conditions in response to a simulated international maritime disaster. Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) Greenland Sea 13, which ran from September 2 to
