During an all hands on deck ceremony, the Commanding Officer of HNLMS De Ruyter, Harold Liebregs complimented Queen Beatrix on her 33 year reign. He also wished the new King, Willem-Alexander best wishes for the future. The ceremony was closed by a driewerf hoezee for both Princess Beatrix and King
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Receives Battenberg Cup The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (IKE) received the Battenberg Cup in recognition of outstanding achievements over the course of 2012. The Battenberg Cup is awarded annually to the best all-around ship or submarine in the Atlanti
She has just spent three months in the Mediterranean as part of the NATO Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 2, but now HMS Cattistock is coming home. • HMS Cattistock will call in at Poole on Friday (May 3), before even returning to her base port of Portsmouth, as she sails home from operations in
On May 2nd, members of the European Parliament Sub Committee on Security and Defence visited the Operational Headquarters of the European Union’s counter piracy mission – Operation Atalanta. The Sub Committee visitors were briefed on the role of the EU Naval Force Somalia, and given an update on the
DCNS and its local partners recently delivered the sixth and final Skjold-class fast patrol boat to the Royal Norwegian Navy. The six-boat Skjold programme is led by a consortium comprising DCNS and two Norwegian contractors with DCNS acting as the combat system design authority and co-supplier. The
Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose hosted a “Citizenship for Life” (C4L) programme for young people in West Cornwall, putting over 20 students and their mentors through a busy day of exercises and demanding challenges. C4L is an award winning programme that has been running for three years with an aim
The Royal Navy’s head of training Rear Admiral Clive Johnstone leaves the South West after seeing through major changes. As Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) he oversees the famous realistic weekly ‘Thursday War’ training exercise off the South West Coast which prepares ships for operations worldwide
Portsmouth-based Royal Navy minehunter HMS Ledbury sails on Tuesday (May 7) for a four-month NATO mission in the Mediterranean. She will be working as part of a permanent multinational maritime force in the area known as Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 2 (SNMCMG2). The group works througho
The flagship of the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), NRP Alvares Cabral has conducted a fast-rope insertion exercise on a World Food Programme (WFP) vessel, providing the opportunity for Portuguese sailors to meet their Finnish colleagues embarked on the WFP ship as an Autonomous Vessel Protection Detach
The Royal Navy’s Fleet Flagship, HMS Bulwark, will arrive in North Shields for a week-long visit, during which her ship’s company will cement the already strong relationship with affiliated County Durham. HMS Bulwark is playing a lead role in the forthcoming Battle of Atlantic 70th anniversary comme
Protecting World Food Programme (WFP) shipments to Somalia is a core task for EU Naval Force Somalia; ensuring the safe transportation of humanitarian aid to the Somali people. In 2013, WFP aims to bring humanitarian assistance to an estimated population of 1.56 million in Somalia. Since the beginni
The Commanding Officers of the Royal Navy’s Fleet Flagship, HMS Bulwark, and HNLMS Rotterdam found a lull in the action of Exercise Joint Warrior to establish an affiliation between the two amphibious ships and recognise the strong relationship between their respective navies and amphibious forces.
Only 36 hours after taking over the Gulf patrol duties from HMS Monmouth, HMS Dragon seized a unique opportunity to replenish her fuel supplies. Whilst this is not an unusual method of sustaining a unit on Operations it would normally involve just two units side by side at sea. On this occasion howe
The Deputy Operation Commander (DCOM) of EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), Rear Admiral Eric Dupont recently visited the Republic of the Seychelles in support of the opening of the new EUCAP NESTOR Seychelles Office. During the visit Rear Admiral Dupont conducted joint talks with the Head of Mission of EU
