Training & Education
Greece hosts international maritime drill Niriis 2017
Ships and personnel from a number of NATO and ally navies are participating in the Greek-hosted maritime exercise Niriis 2017. Taking place off the coast of Crete in the southern Aegean Sea, the drill kicked off November 17 and is set to conclude on Saturday, November 25. The exercise is joined by S
Qinetiq bags Australian Navy logistics support contract
Qinetiq Australia has been awarded a five-year contract for the supply of engineering and logistics services to the Royal Australian Navy. Announcing the contract, Australian defense industry minister Pyne said the agreement would create 7 additional jobs in Sydney at the Royal Australian Navy’s Min
US-JMSDF mine countermeasure drill 3JA gets underway
US Navy’s Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Chief (MCM 14) joined ships and aircraft from the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) for the mine countermeasure exercise 3JA. USS Chief got underway from its forward-deployed homeport of Sasebo on November 21. The 3JA drill is part of an
Albanian patrol boat concludes navy’s first NATO deployment
Albanian Navy Iliria-class patrol boat ALS Oriku has wrapped up a full year of operations with the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), concluding the Albanian Navy’s first ever NATO deployment. Deploying with SNMG2 in November 2016, the Damen-built patrol boat spent over four thousand hours on p
Naval Group delivers new visual defense simulators to French Navy
The French Navy has received a new visual defense simulator (Simdav) at its base in Brest, the system manufacturer Naval Group announced on November 22. Brest is the second base to receive the Simdav after Toulon received one at the end of 2016. Both deliveries are part of a 5-year modernisation and
USS Coronado departs US 7th Fleet area of operations
US Navy’s littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) departed the US 7th Fleet area of responsibility on November 21, after spending nearly 14 months in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. During the rotational deployment, the ship and crew operated with navies of 16 partner nations, participated in 11 multilater
Royal Navy escorts Russian destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov through English Channel
Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset scrambled recently to shadow a Russian naval destroyer as it transited the Moray Firth, returning home from the Mediterranean Sea. It was not the Kulakov’s first visit to UK waters as the destroyer was also shadowed by HMS Somerset from the same position in the Moray
Polish Navy to commission first Kormoran II minehunter on Navy anniversary
The Polish Navy’s first Kormorant II-class minehunter ORP ‘Kormoran’ has passed all state and builder’s trials and was officially transferred to the navy on November 17. According to a navy announcement, the minehunter is now set to be commissioned in Gdynia on November 28, on the day of the Polish
Turkish Navy decommissions 74 year old submarine rescue ship TCG Akin
A former US Navy submarine rescue ship has concluded over seven decades of service with two navies. Decommissioned by the Turkish Navy in a ceremony on November 16, TCG Akin started life as USS Greenlet, joining the US Navy as a submarine rescue ship in May 1943. After 27 years of service, USS Green
US destroyer rescues three from sinking vessel off San Diego
US Navy destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) rescued three mariners from a sinking vessel off the coast of San Diego, on Saturday, November 18. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) was conducting routine operations when it responded to a distress call from
NATO’s SNMG1 concludes Mediterranean Sea stint
Ships form NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1 have concluded their Mediterranean Sea stint taking part in exercises with regional navies and supporting operation Sea Guardian. The group is now heading for the English Channel where they will attend Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) drills before resumin
Japanese tug hits US Navy destroyer at sea
US Navy destroyer USS Benfold collided with a tug on November 18, becoming the fifth US Navy ship to get involved in a collision in the Pacific this year. The forward-deployed destroyer was participating in a scheduled towing exercise in Sagami Wan, south of Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshu, when the t
Argentine Navy launches search for missing submarine ARA San Juan
The Argentine Navy has launched a search mission for diesel-electric submarine ARA San Juan after losing contact with it on Wednesday, November 15. According to Argentine media reports, the diesel-electric submarine ARA San Juan was last seen off the coast of Puerto Madryn, Southern Argentina, where
USS Carl Vinson clears another hurdle before deployment
The US Navy carrier strike group centered around the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson completed a three-week sustainment training exercise off the coast of Southern California, November 16. Completing the exercise indicates the strike group’s readiness for executing missions across all warfare areas