Dredging works in Portsmouth Harbour have once again unearthed a wartime bomb that was detonated by Royal Navy’s bomb disposal experts on Friday morning. The British-made Armstrong Whitworth munition was found at 2am in the excavator head of a barge dredging the harbour. Dredgers have revealed at le
Royal Fleet Auxiliary Wave Knight visited Havana, Cuba on the latest stop during her Caribbean counter-drug deployment. Other roles of the support ship include flying the flag for Britain in its overseas territories, being on stand-by to help out in the event of a natural disaster and generally prom
South African Navy frigate SAS Amatole visited Plymouth, UK, to mark the sinking of the South African troop ship Mendi 100 years ago off the Isle of Wight which coincides with the nation’s Armed Forces Day. Apart from the commemoration, SAS Amatola will spend a few weeks training with the Flag Offic
French Marine Nationale anti-air frigate FS Forbin (D620), which is currently part of Commander, Task Force (CTF) 50, assisted in the rescue of mariners from a sinking dhow in the Gulf of Oman on February 13. Having received word of a dhow taking on water, Forbin directed their helicopter, an NH90 w
Russian fighter jets flew “dangerously close” to the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Porter in the Black Sea in what was the first incident of this kind since the new U.S. president was sworn in. Russian aircraft performed three “unprofessional and unsafe” approaches at the USS Porter in a single day on Feb
Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO) has contracted Thales for the delivery of 14 continuous wave illumination (CWI) transmitters for the Danish Navy’s Absalon and Iver Huitfeldt-class vessels. The transmitters are to be integrated in the current ESSM fire control systems on-
Italian Navy amphibious transport dock ITS San Giorgio wrapped up her participation in the EU-led operation Sophia and headed home on February 14. ITS San Giorgio had been part of the maritime group from October 22, 2016, and was in charge of training Libyan Coast Guard and Navy personnel in no-comb
The U.S. Strategic Systems Programs office has awarded Lockheed Martin a $540.8 million contract for work on the Trident II (D5) submarine-launched ballistic missile. The contract will run through September, 2021, and will see Lockheed Martin provide missile production and deployed system support. A
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri marked the construction start of the first Italian Navy Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ship (PPA) with a steel cutting ceremony at its shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia) on February 13. The shipbuilder said the first of seven offshore patrol ships would be delivered in 20
Following an operational tasking in the second part of 2016, RFA Wave Ruler returned home for a maintenance period which was completed in January. Wave Ruler returned to her tanker duties in support of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) after setting sail on January 22. Wave Ruler is tasked to carry o
German authorities have received a new centre that will allow a number of authorities to work together, integrated into the Maritime Safety and Security Centre. The centre was officially opened during a ceremony in Cuxhaven on February 9. The Maritime Safety and Security Centre has been acting as th
Apart from the previously announced collaboration on submarine acquisition, Germany and Norway will also be joining forces on naval missiles. After the Norwegian ministry of defense announced the choice of German TKMS as the preferred builder for its navy’s four new submarines less than two weeks ag
Spanish Navy’s amphibious assault ship ESPS Galicia departed the navy base Rota to join the European Union counter-piracy operation Atalanta in the Indian Ocean. Galicia will serve as the operation’s flagship hosting Spanish Navy Rear-Admiral Rafael Fernández-Pintado and his staff. This is the fourt
NATO’s annual mine countermeasure (MCM) exercise Dynamic Move (DME17) which saw the participation of over 15 countries, including Partnership for Peace (PFP) countries, Finland and Sweden, concluded Friday, February 10. The two-week drill was organized by the Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) and aim
