Vessels
BMT Australia opens Adelaide office
Maritime engineering consultancy BMT Australia opened a new office in Adelaide, South Australia, in a ceremony on May 14. The ceremony was attended by Australian defense industry minister Christopher Pyne who formally opened the company office. Minister Pyne welcomed the company’s expansion to Adela
Surface action group destroyers return from three-month Indo-Pacific deployment
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Dewey (DDG 105) and USS Sterett (DDG 104) returned to San Diego, May 11, following a three-month deployment to Indo-Pacific. The destroyers operated in the South and East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and western Pacific. During the deployment
Raytheon contracted to deliver RAM missile systems for Qatari Navy
Raytheon Missile Systems has received a $242 million contract to deliver the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2 system for the Qatari Emiri Navy. The contract, announced by the US defense department May 10, was awarded to the company by the US Naval Sea Systems Command and includes foreign milit
USS Ronald Reagan gets underway from Japan for post-repair trials
US Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) departed Yokosuka, Japan, May 11, for post-repair sea trials. The carrier got underway after wrapping a two-day fast cruise, a simulated underway period that prepares the crew for life at sea. The week-long sea trials are designe
Austal will not take part in Australian OPV construction after all
Australian shipbuilder Austal will not be taking part in the construction of 12 offshore patrol vessels for the Royal Australian Navy, according to a May 11 statement from Luerssen – the prime contractor on the project. The announcement follows months of negotiations between the two sides. In Novemb
NATO drill Open Spirit kicks off in Estonia
Mine countermeasure ships and personnel from 15 navies gathered in Tallinn, Estonia, for the start of the international Baltic Sea ordnance disposal drill Open Spirit. The exercise kicks off Friday and is joined by ships from NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) among others. Open
HMAS Adelaide gears up for Indo-Pacific deployment, RIMPAC
Royal Australian Navy landing helicopter dock HMAS Adelaide is making final preparations for a three-month deployment which will include participation in RIMPAC, the world’s largest international maritime exercise taking place off Hawaii. Adelaide’s journey across the South Pacific to Hawaii and bac
HII boosts 3-D printing application in shipbuilding
Huntington Ingalls Industries, the sole builder of US Navy aircraft carriers, announced May 10 that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division is boosting application of 3-D printing in its operations. NNS has partnered with 3D Systems to develop additive manufacturing technologies expected to acc
Unite backs Corbyn’s call for Royal Navy ships to be built in UK
Unite, the UK’s largest union representing defence and shipbuilding workers, backed today’s demand by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for the three new Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels to be built in UK shipyards. Government plans to put the £1 billion contract for building the ships out to tender in inter
US Coast Guard brings 6 tons of cocaine to Florida
The crew of US Coast Guard cutter James offloaded approximately 6 tons of cocaine in Port Everglades on Thursday, worth an estimated $180 million. The narcotics were seized in multiple interceptions in international waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The interdictions took place off the coasts of
Multi-lateral anti-submarine warfare drill starts in Norway
A multi-lateral anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise in the Norwegian Sea got underway May 9 as navy assets from five ally countries gathered in Bodo, Norway, for the pre-sail conference. The exercise is hosted by Norway and led by the US Navy. ASW forces from Canada, France, Norway, the United Kin
Seawolf-class submarine USS Connecticut returns from Arctic Circle
The US Navy’s Seawolf-class fast attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) returned home to Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton on May 7 following a tour in the Arctic Circle. Connecticut was one of three submarines taking part in the biennial exercise ICEX that allows the US Navy to assess its operational
Turkish minehunter finds unexploded ordnance during Spanish MINEX
Turkish Navy minehunter TCG Anamur has discovered historical unexploded ordnance during mine countermeasures drills conducted as part of the Spanish-hosted multinational exercise MINEX 2018. According NATO Maritime Command, the ordnance was discovered by TCG Anamur on 8 May using the ship’s speciali
UK, Norway advance sub hunting cooperation plans
The UK and Norway have advanced their plans for international Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) cooperation in the North Atlantic. The nations’ defence ministers flew in an American P-8A Poseidon from RAF Lossiemouth on May 3. Defence Minister Guto Bebb hosted Secretary Tone Skogen, State Secretary in