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
Karel Doorman-class frigate BNS Louise-Marie F931 recently became the first Belgian Navy ship to fire the Harpoon anti-ship missile during live firing drills off Norway. The event, which took place off Tromsø, Norway, from May 28 to 31, was captured on video and shared by the Belgian Navy. Though th
Royal Navy landing ship RFA Lyme Bay on June 1 joined the French helicopter carrier BPC Tonnerre in the French port city of La Rochelle, in the Bay of Biscay, to embark an expeditionary force for the amphibious exercise Catamaran 2018. In addition to the two countries’ navy and marine forces, the ex
RFS Yantar, the Russian Navy’s oceanographic vessel – also referred to as spy ship, underwater reconnaissance ship or seabed research ship – was escorted by several NATO ships as it transited the English Channel into the North Sea. Yantar was first escorted by a French Navy ship in the Bay of Biscay
Some 37 ships from 16 states arrived in the Lithuanian port city of Klaipeda on May 31 ahead of the start of international exercise BALTOPS 2018, the Lithuanian Navy said. The US Navy says the number of participating countries and ships is higher with a total of 22 nations, 60 aircraft, 42 ships, an
French missile manufacturer MBDA recently carried out a second development firing of its Sea Venom/ANL missile using a French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA – Direction Générale de l’Armement) Panther test helicopter for launch at Ile Du Levant in southeast France. The firing took place on April 18
Royal Navy minehunter HMS Ramsey got underway from its homeport of HMNB Clyde last week to start a deployment with the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1). During its deployment, Ramsey will help with the disposal of historical ordnance left over from conflicts in the Northern Europ
Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Victoria pulled into the Haifa port on May 25 for her first ever visit to Israel. The 31-year-old Santa Maria-class frigate arrived in Haifa together with Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan for a weekend port call. The two ships are currently deployed to NATO’s Standin
The upcoming flagship NATO exercise Trident Juncture 2018 is expected to be one of the largest ever with 40,000 personnel, around 120 aircraft and as many as 70 ships converging this fall in Norway. Compared to the 2015 edition of the exercise which was said to be “the largest NATO exercise in a dec
The Estonian-hosted mine warfare drill Open Spirit concluded in the Baltic Sea on May 25. The two-week multinational naval mine clearance and ordnance disposal operation took place in two main areas – around Tallin, and around the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumma. In addition to ships from Baltic sta
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) met with Turkish Navy units in the Aegean Sea as they wrapped up 20 days of operations in the Black Sea. Led by the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan, SNMG2 ships rendezvoused with Turkish fast patrol boats TCG Mızrak and TCG Volkan after
The Italian Navy’s FREMM frigate ITS Alpino (F594) has arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, for the first stop of her North American tour. The tour will help Fincantieri, and the Italian industry, showcase the FREMM frigate design Fincantieri is offering for the US Navy’s next frigate, dubbed FFG(X). Alpin
The navies of US and France have concluded a “historic combined exercise” as the last French Navy Rafale jets took of from the flight deck of US Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). The exercise, named Chesapeake 2018, began in April this year at Naval Air Station Oceana and continue
Two Royal Navy Merlin Mk2 helicopters have returned home after two weeks of anti submarine warfare drills in the Norwegian Fjords as part of exercise Rogue Wizards 2018. The helicopters were flown by ‘Flying Sailors’ from the Merlin Training Squadron at RNAS Culdrose. 824 NAS is the unit which train
