Participants of the international naval exercise Open Spirit 2016 found several mines just 3 kilometers off the Lithuanian only sea port on May 20. Lithuanian Navy divers subsequently destroyed the German WWII mines. Five naval mines, one torpedo, rocket parts and two still unidentified wrecks have
Royal Navy’s mine hunter HMS Ramsey has returned to home waters and its Faslane base after a deployment as part of Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 1. Crew seven from the First Mine Counter Measures Squadron (MCM1), who have most recently been operating the Sandown Class vessel, has been tr
Spanish Navy’s F-100 frigate Méndez Núñez is scheduled to integrate into the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 until the end of September. The Méndez Núñez (F-104) will relieve her sister ship Álvaro de Bazán (F-101). Spanish Navy Rear Admiral José Enrique Delgado Roig took command of SNMG-1 in Decembe
Members of the Tanzanian Navy were welcomed on board FGS Bayern for a day of maritime training with Operation Atalanta sailors and marines, on May 16. The training focused on fast-roping drills and damage control skills, such as fire-fighting and flood control as sea. On completion of the training,
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan has sailed up the Thames into London for the first of three visits in both the United Kingdom and Germany to mark the centenary of the Battle of Jutland. The Battle of Jutland was the most significant naval battle of the First World War and the largest sea b
Members of the Egyptian Navy have managed to find remains of an EgyptAir plane which crashed over the Mediterranean Sea while it was flying from Paris to Cairo. A navy search for the plane’s black box found personal belongings of passengers and other debris 290 km north of the Egyptian city of Alexa
Italian Navy’s sixth FREMM, multi-mission, frigate Luigi Rizzo F595 left Fincantieri’s shipyard in Muggiano, La Spezia, to start sea trials May 17. The sixth of overall ten ships is scheduled for delivery in early 2017. Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri is building the vessels for the Italian Navy wit
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Cardigan Bay on May 18 joined NATO’s Standing Maritime Group (SNMG 2) sailing in Southern European waters. The Bay-class landing ship deck auxiliary is 176.6 m long and a displaces about 16,000 t. It has the capability to operate several types of helicopters and is equippe
Spanish Navy frigate Reina Sofía (F-84) departed Rota Naval Base yesterday, May 18, to relieve ESPS Numancia, another Spanish Navy frigate integrated into Operation Sophia since January 2016. Numancia has participated in multiple rescue operation during her deployment. Just recently, the frigate wor
Ships assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group Two task unit 02 (SNMG2 TU.02) recently concluded a busy port visit in Casablanca, Morocco with a passing exercise and boarding exercise off the coast of Morocco. SNMG2 TU.02 led by Canadian Navy Commander Trevor MacLean included HMCS Fredericton (FFH 3
DGA, the French General Directorate for Armament, announced that it has started a new testing campaign for its unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), Dassault nEUROn. The aim of this round of testing, as DGA said, is to study the use of the UCAV in a naval context. DGA said the campaign would also i
The Royal Navy is to upgrade more than thirty ships and submarines with Lockheed Martin’s compass systems developed under a six year, £17 million contract from the UK Ministry of Defence. The Navigation Compass Programme (NCP) contract will see Lockheed Martin replace the current systems in use on t
BAE Systems, the company in charge of the training programme for the Royal Navy’s new class of aircraft carriers, has contracted BMT Defence Services to deliver a new 3D training system for the ships. BMT said it would utilise its existing training solution, Engage, to develop a 3D walkthrough train
U.S. Navy’s Blue Ridge-class command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) on May 16 departed Gaeta, Italy, to prepare for the upcoming BALTOPS 2016. BALTOPS is an annually recurring multinational exercise designed to demonstrate resolve of allied and partner forces to defend the Baltic region. Mount Whit
