Training & Education
Four-nation drill Unified Trident starts in Persian Gulf
Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy, French Marine Nationale and U.S. Navy ships started the multilateral exercise Unified Trident on January 31. The drill will take place in the international waters of the Persian Gulf and incorporate all forms of maritime operations. The exercise will be led by Comm
Greek, Turkish Navy ships face off in Aegean Sea
Greek Coast Guard and Navy vessels reportedly prevented a Turkish Navy missile boat from reaching a group of Aegean Sea islets claimed by Greece on January 29. The standoff came days after Greece refused to extradite Turkish Army officers involved in the July coup. The Greek Ministry of Defense said
Multinational naval drill Cutlass Express to begin in Africa
Maritime forces from three continents are set to begin the sixth iteration of the annual multinational maritime exercise Cutlass Express on January 31. Units from East Africa, West Indian Ocean nations, Europe, and the United States, as well as several international organizations will converge for n
Watch the German Navy’s first F 125 frigate fire its guns
FGS Baden-Württemberg, the lead ship of the German Navy’s F 125 frigates, was delivered to the navy last year and is currently underway, carrying out tests and training. Back in July 2016, Captain at sea Michael Budde, Commander of the German Navy’s 2nd Flotilla, said the Baden Württemberg needs to
Spanish minehunter joins NATO’s SNMCMG2
Spanish Navy minehunter ESPS Duero departed Cartagena, Spain to join the standing NATO mine countermeasures group two. Duero and her crew are scheduled to spend over two months with the international group before heading home in April. During this deployment in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, the
German diver support vessel Rottweil joins NATO
German Navy’s diver support vessel FGS Rottweil is scheduled to depart its homeport in Kiel, Germany, on January 30, to join NATO’s standing mine countermeasure group two. The vessel and her crew will spend the next five months sailing with the SNMCMG2. Coming from the German Navy’s 3rd Mine Warfare
Russian carrier-cruiser fleet escorted through the Channel
NATO ships and aircraft are escorting the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and its carrier strike group transiting the English Channel en route home from Syria. Vessels from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal and Great Britain have all at one point formed part of a fleet of ships
NATO’s new flagship arrives in Cagliari on first port visit
The Italian city of Cagliari was the port visit of choice for the new flagship of NATO’s standing mine counter measures group two. Polish flagship, ORP Kontradmiral Xawery Czernicki (511), arrived in Cagliari on January 21 on its first port call since joining SNMCMG2. The ship and crew arrived to It
Russian, Japanese warships maneuver in the Sea of Japan
Ships from the Russian Pacific Fleet completed their visit to Japan on January 23 where they took part in maneuvering and search and rescue exercises in the Sea of Japan. Two Russian ships, ASW destroyer Admiral Tributs and fleet tanker Boris Butoma arrived at Japanese port of Maizuru on January 21.
New light is shed on disastrous Royal Navy explosion in Scapa Flow
A team of civilian divers is investigating the wreck of battleship HMS Vanguard which perished with all but two of her crew in the greatest disaster in Royal Navy history. HMS Vanguard sunk on 9 July 1917 when a series of explosions shook the ship before a final blast tore it to pieces and showered
George H.W. Bush carrier strike group to deploy
U.S. Navy’s George H.W. Bush carrier strike group (GHWBCSG) is set to depart on a deployment to Europe and Middle East on Saturday, January 21. Nearly 6,000 sailors assigned to the carrier strike group will depart Norfolk and Mayport, Florida, after they spent more time ashore than it was anticipate
Royal Navy ships prepare for carrier strike group operations
Royal Navy warships have been preparing for carrier strike group operations that will begin once the UK’s first Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier arrives this year. The Commander UK Carrier Strike Group (COMUKCSG) battle staff has been conducting transatlantic exercises ahead of the arrival in
NATO escorts Russian flotilla en route home from Syria
NATO said it is monitoring the Russian carrier strike group centered around the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov as it sails back home after spending several months off the coast of Syria. The aircraft carrier took part in Russian military operations in Syria. Admiral Kuznetsov has been monitored
UK Maritime Forces commander highlights Royal Navy operations of 2016
Refuting negative press reports, UK’s Maritime Forces commander Rear Admiral Alex Burton pointed to the Royal Navy’s numerous operations in 2016 during a speech he delivered to the All Parties Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Armed Forces at the Palace of Westminster on January 16 Below is a trans