On Thursday, January 17th, the Polish Navy assumed command over Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One. ORP ‘Kontradmiral Xawery Czernicki’ became the flagship of the Group and Cdr Piotr Sikora (Polish Navy) was appointed as the Commander of the SNMCMG1. The official Change of Command Ceremony
The UK and Australia will strengthen their long-standing relationship today with a new defence treaty to provide a framework for the many strands of co-operation between the two countries. The treaty, to be signed in Perth today, Friday 18 January, with the Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith,
On Wednesday 16 January 2013 Rear Admiral Duncan Potts handed over operational command of the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) to Rear Admiral Bob Tarrant. Rear Admiral Potts has commanded EU NAVFOR, the European Union’s counter piracy mission off Somalia, since August 2011. This period has wi
Personnel on board Portsmouth-based HMS Atherstone have put aside their minehunting skills to instead imitate pirates as part of an exercise with HMS Monmouth in the Gulf. The joint operations come as the Devonport-based frigate builds up to operational patrols policing international trade routes in
Sailors assigned to guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) participated in an officer exchange between the U.S. and French navies aboard the French Marine Nationale anti-air frigate FS Jean Bart (D 615) in the Mediterranean Sea Jan. 11. Cmdr. Christopher F. Cigna, Laboon’s commanding officer,
Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset has left Devonport Royal Dockyard for sea trials with significantly increased sustainability and fighting capability, following a successful nine-month docking period undertaken by Babcock; the first major maintenance period conducted under the full implementation of the
Early yesterday morning EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) warship FS Surcouf came to the rescue of ten mariners at sea 30 miles off the Somali Coast, after their boat, known as a dhow, started to sink into the deep ocean. The master of the Indian flagged dhow had sent out a distress call after the [&hellip
In the morning of 11th January 2013, the Force Commander of the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), Rear Admiral Pedro García de Paredes held a meeting on board his flagship ESPS Méndez Núnez with the Commander of the Combined Maritime counter-piracy task force, Commodore Muhammad Hisham SI (Pakistan Navy).
More than 100 experienced submariners formed up on the parade ground at Clyde Naval Base as the men behind the Navy’s ultimate weapon held divisions. HMS Vanguard’s port crew – one of two crews responsible for the 16,000-tonne strategic deterrence submarine – were inspected by Capt David Graham. The
Sailors and Royal Marines will receive lighter, more accurate pistols with bigger magazines as of January 11. Some 25,000 new Glock 17 pistols are being issued to all three Services as part of a £9m deal to replace the trusty Browning, which is being retired after 40 years’ service. Over the coming
Royal Marines based on the deployed warship HMS Monmouth have been practising their ship-boarding skills to combat pirates and smugglers. Among the ship’s company of HMS Monmouth is a detachment of Royal Marines, vital for HMS Monmouth’s tasking at sea. One of the major roles of the Marines is condu
The 4 servicemen from 815 Naval Air Squadron are among 1,500 Royal Navy personnel to receive medals for their part in the NATO-led Libya operation. The aircrew and engineers, based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, were presented with NATO Operation Unified Protector medals for their participati
In the evening of 5th January, a merchant vessel sailing 260 miles off the Somali Coast, made a distress call, reporting that she was coming under attack by six men in a fast moving boat, armed with rocket propelled grenades. Thankfully, having employed avoidance tactics, the merchant vessel was abl
Babcock International Group PLC (Babcock), the UK’s leading engineering support services company, announces that it has acquired LGE Process (LGE) from The Weir Group PLC for an enterprise value of £23 million. LGE will be combined with Babcock’s Design Services (DS) business unit, within the Marine
