US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) completed a four-month patrol in the US 6th Fleet area of operations, returning to Naval Station Rota, Spain, November 17. Carney departed Rota July 27, 2018, and began its fifth Forward-Deployed Naval Force patrol in Europe and Africa. “From Va
Spanish sailors assigned to EUNAVFOR’s operation Atalanta captured and destroyed a pirate whaler in an operation off the Somali coast on October 28. The pirate vessel was detected following an attack on Hong Kong-flagged Bulk Carrier KSL Sydney. The attack against the KSL Sydney took place on Octobe
The annual IBSAMAR maritime exercise organized between the navies of Brazil, India and South Africa kicked off at Simons Town, South Africa, on October 1. The two-week exercise changes hosts every year, with the previous edition taking place in India. The exercise is designed to build interoperabili
The Royal Canadian Navy and the Tunisian Navy vessels conducted a passing exercise (PASSEX) in late August. On August 20, 2018, Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Québec departed Tunis, Tunisia. With the Northern African coastline in the background, it engaged in the exercise with FBB La Galite and PB J
On August 29, 2018, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)’s JS Akebono and the Spanish Navy’s ESPS Castilla conducted a passage exercise (PASSEX) in the Gulf of Aden. JS Akebono (DD-108) and ESPS Castilla (L52) are flagships under the command of Combined Task Force (CTF151) and the European
The EU-led counter-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia has welcomed its new flagship from the Spanish Navy. On August 6, Spain’s Galicia-class landing platform dock ESPS Castilla joined the operation Atalanta which received a new force commander on the same day. Rear Admiral Alfonso Nanclares
US Navy Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) returned to her forward-deployed homeport of Gaeta, Italy, after five months of operations. Mount Whitney departed Gaeta Feb. 27, to conduct naval operations in the US 6th Fleet area of operations in Europe and Africa. “It’
Spanish helicopter carrier ESPS Juan Carlos I and frigate ESPS Blaz de Lezo met up with EUNAVFOR units in the Red Sea recently as they transit towards the Persian Gulf. The multi-purpose amphibious assault ship and F-100 class air defense frigate are deployed as part of a Spanish Navy operation call
Ships from the Combined Maritime Force and EU NAVFOR staged a counter-piracy exercise in the Gulf of Aden early June, honing interoperability and coordination to combat piracy. EU NAVFOR ships and aircraft from Italy, Spain and Germany operated alongside US, Korean and Japanese warships of CMF from
Royal Navy destroyer and NATO SNMG2 flagship HMS Duncan has rescued two Algerian fishermen who had been stranded at sea for four days. A lookout from the Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer noticed the men’s boat by chance in the western Mediterranean – and the warship immediately offered food, fuel
As part of the mission to ensure maritime security in the Gulf of Aden, the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) have conducted a large-scale Focused Operation in conjunction with the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR). The operation, known as Three Arrows, started on May 1, 2018, with warships from Japan, Spain
US Navy amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) and dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) arrived in Aqaba, Jordan on Sunday, April 15, ahead of the start of the joint US-Jordanian exercise Eager Lion 2018. The two ships arrived with components of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit for an exe
On April 3, EU NAVFOR Spanish Navy replenishment oiler Patiño hosted members of the Tanzanian Navy during a port visit to Dar es Salaam. During the visit, the Tanzanian forces had the chance to train with the Spanish crew, who demonstrated their techniques in navigation and damage control procedures
US Navy and Marine Corps have cancelled the Alligator Dagger amphibious drill taking place off Djibouti after two back-to-back aircraft crashes. In addition to halting Alligator Dagger maneuvers, the US Naval Forces Central Command also cancelled all air operations in Djibouti after two separate avi
