Spanish Navy frigate Santa María (F-81) set sail from Rota Naval Base to integrate into the EU-led counter-piracy Operation Atalanta in the Indian Ocean until the end of September. The farewell ceremony was presided over by Commander 41st Escort Squadron, Captain Ramón Godín. Operation Atalanta is a
Turkey began construction of the nation’s first amphibious assault ship with a steel cutting ceremony on April 30. Based on the Spanish Navy’s landing helicopter dock (LHD) Juan Carlos I and designed by Navantia, the Turkish version of the ship will be named TCG Anadolu and have the pennant number L
French defense and security company ECA Group recently demonstrated their autonomous underwater vehicle in the harbor of Brest, France. The A27-M AUV, as the vessel is named, was demonstrated to a number of French and foreign naval officials including representatives of OCCAR. ECA Group displayed th
French defense contractor Thales announced that it was awarded two contracts for the supply of above-water and underwater solutions for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN). These contracts will see Thales modernize the Bang Rachan Class Minehunters and supply the combat, navigation and communication suite onb
European naval vessels rescued a total of 587 migrants trying to reach Europe in five unseaworthy boats. In the morning hours of April 29, a Spanish maritime patrol aircraft spotted the migrants and reported that one of the boats was in poor condition and semi-sunken. Four ships assigned to EUNAVFOR
Irish Navy’s offshore patrol vessel Le Roisin (P 51) departed the Naval Base Haulbowline, Ireland on May 1 and headed for the Mediterranean. The ship is to undertake humanitarian search and rescue operations in conjunction with the Italian authorities. Commanded by Lieutenant Commander Ultan Finegan
A 1:100 scale model of the German Navy’s newest F 125 class of frigates was delivered to the German Navy Support Command. ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, the German company responsible for the construction of the four frigates, transferred the model to mark the commissioning of a new F 125 test- and tr
Two would-be submarine commanders joined a Dutch boat in the Norwegian fjords to test their handling abilities. Lieutenant Commanders Ian Shropshall and James Collie dived and manoeuvred the Bruinvis in the narrow waters as she sought out – and then avoided – a Dutch frigate and patrol ship. Seen th
The Lord Mayor of London paid a visit to HMS Penzance recently whilst the ship was alongside in Bahrain. Alderman the Lord Mountevans was accompanied by His Excellency Simon Martin CMG, the British Ambassador to Bahrain, on a tour of the Sandown Class minehunter. The crew took the opportunity to tal
The Royal Navy has welcomed its newly appointed Commander of the Maritime Reserves at a handover ceremony in Portsmouth. Commodore Martin Quinn, a Royal Navy Reservist, takes up the role from outgoing Commodore Andrew Jameson, who has been appointed Commodore Naval Legal Services. The ceremony took
Leaders of the International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX) brought the exercise to a close and highlighted the need to continue training with scenarios that are likely to occur in real life in order to keep waterways safe. The exercise “raised the bar in terms of reality,” said Vice Adm. Ke
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) arrived in Kiel for a scheduled port visit, April 23. Such port visits serve to enhance U.S.-German relations as the two nations work together for a stable, secure and prosperous region. “Although this is only a short stop we are
The Antarctic remains one of the least understood and underexplored regions on our planet. It is also the most inhospitable and fragile. When Peru announced that it soon would join the countries taking part in research activities there, it was crucial that their research vessel currently under const
The Lord Mayor of Westminster swapped her chain of office for industrial safety gear during a visit to her namesake warship which is nearing the end of a huge upgrade in Portsmouth, UK. Lady Christabel Flight was given a comprehensive tour of the new-look HMS Westminster which included a close-up in
