Sea King and Merlin helicopters emerged from the mist to land on HMS Illustrious before she sailed for a major Mediterranean exercise. Six aircraft flew thundered around Portsmouth harbour yesterday morning before they embarked the helicopter carrier in driving rain. The Portsmouth-based ship then s
From the Moray Firth to the Clyde warships, submarines and aircraft have been getting ready for the start of Europe’s largest military exercise. Exercise Joint Warrior involves 24 ships, two submarines , 40 aircraft and over 4,500 military personnel from ten countries, including the US, France, Cana
Romanian frigate ROS Regele Ferdinand today joined the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) – Operation ATALANTA, combating piracy off Somalia. In doing so she becomes the first Romanian warship to take part in the EU’s counter-piracy operation. Commissioned into the Romanian Navy in 2004, the 146
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) got underway Sept. 29 to participate in a Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) with components of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11. Prior to departure, Nimitz spent six weeks in its homeport of Everett, Wash. for its carrier in-port availability. During t
Britain’s newest destroyer, HMS Duncan, has returned to the Clyde after highly-successful month-long initial trials. The sixth and final Type 45 destroyer tested her ability to manoeuvre, fire most of her weapons and flashed up her combat systems during the four weeks of tests off western Scotland.
More than 3,000 sailors and Royal Marines are geared up for a three-month deployment to the Mediterranean – the key workout in 2012 of the UK’s new task force. Cougar 12 will see the Response Force Task Group train with the French – including their flagship Charles de Gaulle – and Albanians among ot
HMS Blyth, the Clyde-based mine hunter currently deployed to the Mediterranean, has taken up position as “command platform” of a NATO task group in the region. The sophisticated Sandown Class Mine Counter Measures vessel, or MCMV, left its home at HM Naval Base Clyde June this year for a 3,000 mile
Six countries participated in a helicopter live-fire exercise in the Caribbean Sea, Sept. 25, during UNITAS, an annual multinational exercise that involves naval forces from 13 partner nations to promote interoperability and cooperation with each other and is hosted by U.S. 4th Fleet. Participants i
A ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Base has officially marked the end of HMS York’s 27-year Royal Navy career. The Type 42 destroyer has clocked up more than 750,000 miles protecting the UK’s interests across the world and is being decommissioned as the ageing fleet of Type 42s makes way for the hi-tech
Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26, guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64), guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57) and Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) 46 Detachment 2 pulled into the port of Faslane, Scotland for a port visit, Sept. 26. Gettysburg, Mitscher and fleet replenishment ship U
Sailors and Marines aboard amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) arrived in Guam for a scheduled port visit Sept. 26. After spending a month underway in the Western Pacific, approximately 2,800 Sailors and Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit will have an opportunity to exp
Official visit of Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief ADM Viktor Chirkov to Italy started on Sept 25. According to the program, Viktor Chirkov will visit Rome and Taranto. The Russian Navy Commander will meet with Italian Defense Minister Giampaolo di Paola, Chief of Defense General Staff Gen. Biagio Ab
Sailors aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46), along with Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), completed a certification exercise (CERTEX) while on deployment in the Western Pacific Sept. 24. CERTEX is a two week long exercise that focuses on the Bonhomme Ric
Canadian divers from Fleet Dive Unit, Atlantic, embarked mine countermeasures ship USS Warrior (MCM 10), for phase two of the International Mine Countermeasures Exercise 2012 (IMCMEX 12), Sept. 20-26. “Every day of IMCMEX has been different, forcing us to be flexible,” said Canadian Lt.(N) Joel Corn
