The Royal Navy’s largest warship HMS Ocean celebrated her royal links by hosting Her Majesty the Queen on board in Plymouth on Friday, March 20. Her Majesty paid her fourth visit to the nation’s ‘very high readiness’ helicopter carrier since commissioning in 1998. Her Majesty, the ship’s sponsor sin
NATO ships assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) recently completed exercises in the Black Sea with ships from the Romanian Navy. SNMG2 is in the Black Sea to reassure allies in the region of the Alliance’s collective defence and to enhance NATO’s maritime force interoperability. Led
Maritime forces from Gulf of Guinea nations, Europe, South America, the United States and several regional and international organizations began the multinational maritime Exercise, Obangame Express 2015, March 19. Obangame Express, sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), is designed to improve
Sailors on board HMS Lancaster are scheduled to deploy on a nine-month Atlantic patrol on Saturday. The vessel will leave Portsmouth for the Atlantic patrol where she will take over from HMS Dragon. The ship expects to cover in excess of 30,000 nautical miles and visit up to eighteen different count
Ghanaian navy sailors joined a German navy maritime interdiction operations (MIO) team and a U.S. Navy medical trainer for three days of maritime security training at Naval Base Tema, Ghana, ending March 18, 2015. The training took place prior to the official start of Exercise Obangame Express 2015,
Lying in wait since the Second World War, Royal Navy’s HMS Pembroke has dealt with a 500lb bomb in the North Sea. As part of her NATO tasking the Faslane based minehunter has located and dealt with a number of unexploded mines, bombs and torpedoes in the North and Baltic Sea during her current taski
Destroyer Squadron 7 staff completed the Sea Combat Commander (SCC) course taught by instructors from Tactical Training Group, Pacific, March 19. The course is designed to reinforce SCC skills to carrier strike group and expeditionary strike group SCC staffs. Capt. Fred Kacher, commodore, DESRON 7,
Vessels participating in Ex Good Hope VI departed from Simon’s Town on Monday, March 9, and made their way toward the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town. Various exercises were conducted en route to integrate all participating forces. The exercise started with the Harbour Phase in Simon’s Tow
Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet engaged in a search for imaginary enemy submarines in the Black Sea. The Navy’s patrol vessel Pytliviy, as well as small anti-submarine ships Suzdalets and Aleksandrovets, together with naval aviation conducted the training. Other vessels involved, Kovrovets (913), Iva
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) departed Naval Station Rota, Spain, March 17, to begin its second forward-deployed patrol in support of ballistic missile defense of Europe and Operation Atlantic Resolve. Ross’ forward presence and the ship’s participation in combin
The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) arrived in Sasebo, Japan, March 18, marking the first time an LCS has visited Japan. The ship is in port to work with Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force counterparts and conduct routine maintenance. Cmdr. Matt Kawas, Fort Worth Crew 103 commanding offic
A Landing Craft Air Cushion assigned to Naval Beach Unit (NBU) 7 enters the well deck of the Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48). Ashland is part of the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group and, along with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU),
The Joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) and its embarked detachment of U.S. Navy Sailors, civil service mariners and U.S., Spanish and British marines concluded the Cameroonian phase of Africa Partnership Station (APS), March 16, 2015, in Douala, Cameroon. U.S. special operators will wor
On Monday, March 16, NATO Allied Maritime Command began its full operational capability (FOC) certification exercise TRIDENT JEWEL, testing the headquarters staff’s abilities to manage a joint multinational operation with a significant maritime component. Exercise TRIDENT JEWEL marks the culmination
