Training & Education
Royal Navy frigate, submarine in cat and mouse games off Scotland
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans and the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Astute honed their Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) skills recently, during joint training off Scotland. HMS St Albans and HMS Astute are two of the vessels that form the Royal Navy’s anti-submarine capability. This latest
NATO SNMG2 ships visit Marmaris, Turkey
After concluding a visit to the Algerian port of Algiers last week, NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) arrived in Marmaris, Turkey, for a port call on November 27. The group is conducting the visits after resuming regular Mediterranean Sea patrols following their participation in NATO’s major
Greece, Egypt, Cyprus wrap up main stage of Medusa-7 drill
The navies of Egypt, Greece and Cyprus have wrapped up the main portion of the trilateral exercise Medusa 7 which took place in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea off Crete. Main units taking part in the exercise included the Egyptian Navy helicopter carrier ENS Anwar El Sadat (L1020) and Greek frigate H
Royal Navy destroyer arrives in India for exercise Konkan 2018
After seizing three tons of hashish in the Middle East earlier this week, Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon arrived in India where it will join Indian Navy ships for the bilateral naval exercise Konkan 2018. The Konkan exercise provides a platform for the two navies to periodically exercise at sea and
German combat support ship Bonn joining NATO’s SNMG2
German Navy combat support ship EGV Bonn is getting underway from her Wilhelmshaven homeport on November 30 to join NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG 2) in the Aegean Sea. The 173-meter-long Berlin-class replenishment ship is joining SNMG2 after completing an overhaul which started in August 20
SNMG1, SNMCMG1 ships visit Sweden
Navy ships deployed to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group One (SNMG1) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) stopped in Karlskrona, Sweden, for a port visit from November 23 to 25. The port visit included visits to local military and civilian officials as well as tours of the ships f
Royal Navy destroyer seizes three tons of hashish in Middle East
Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon has seized three tons of hashish in a Persian Gulf operation, the Royal Navy informed. The Portsmouth-based destroyer was on patrol in the Middle East when they came across a suspicious dhow – a type of vessel common to the Middle East – in a notorious drug sm
Russia fires on, seizes three Ukrainian Navy ships in Sea of Azov dispute escalation
Months of rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine in the Sea of Azov escalated on Sunday when Russian forces first fired upon and subsequently seized three Ukrainian Navy vessels as they were trying to enter the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait. Latest reports say six Ukrainian sailors were i
Royal Navy destroyer, amphibious assault ship return home from operations
The UK Royal Navy has welcomed two major warships home from operations in Europe and Asia Pacific. On Friday, Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond returned home to Portsmouth after two months of operations in the Mediterranean while amphibious assault ship HMS Albion returned to Plymouth after a ten-month
Royal Navy retaining its Batch 1 River-class OPVs
The Royal Navy is retaining its three Batch 1 River-class offshore patrol vessels for at least the next two years, UK defense secretary Gavin Williamson announced on November 22. The announcement follows the previous decommissioning of two of the ships in the class, HMS Severn in 2017 and HMS Tyne i
Royal Navy Merlins hone skills at US Navy’s Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center
Royal Navy’s submarine-hunting Merlin helicopters recently left the flight deck of aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth for three weeks of exercises at the US Navy’s Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC). The ranges off Andros Island – south-west of Nassau – are centered on a natural
USS Donald Cook starts European patrol
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) got underway from its forward-deployed homeport of Naval Station Rota, Spain, On November 19 to start its eighth patrol in the US 6th Fleet area of operations. Donald Cook deployed two days after sister ship USS Carney (
FS Cassard rescues seafarers during Franco-Kuwaiti exercise Pearl of the West
French Navy anti-air warfare destroyer FS Cassard rescued twelve crew members of the Panama-flagged asphalt-bitumen tanker Durban Queen in the Persian Gulf on November 20. FS Cassard was en route to Kuwait and exercise Pearl of the West when it received a distress call from the nearby tanker. Accord
HMS Albion wraps up final stop of 10-month Asia-Pacific deployment
Royal Navy amphibious assault ship HMS Albion has completed the final port call of a ten-month deployment to Asia-Pacific. Albion departed Gibraltar on November 20 and is expected to arrive at its Plymouth homeport on Friday. After a number of stops in the Asia-Pacific region and Middle East – Indon