The keel of the offshore patrol vessel being built for the Finnish Border Guard was laid, on Monday 25 February 2013, at STX Finland Oy’s Rauma Shipyard. The event was witnessed by representatives of STX Finland, Finnish Border Guard, classification society and media. Scheduled for delivery in Novem
A naval airman from Ramsgate serving in the helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious recently played his part in raising the profile of the forthcoming Battle of the Atlantic 70th anniversary. HMS Illustrious – known to her crew as Lusty – visited Liverpool recently and Naval Airman Chris Heale, 31, was a
Royal Navy warship HMS Argyll has made her first port stop to Lisbon for a briefing on the illegal drugs trade activities off the West African coast. The Plymouth frigate left the UK a week ago for a seven-month deployment and arrived in Portugal where leaders in the fight against the illegal narcot
At the end of February the Luxembourg Maritime patrol and Reconnaissance (MPRA) Detachment returned to the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta counter piracy mission, having taken over MPRA duties from the Swedish Coast Guard MPRA unit operating from the Seychelles. During their pr
On Monday 25 February Dutch EU Naval Force frigate HNLMS De Ruyter transferred nine suspected pirates to the Seychelles authorities for prosecution. The transfers happened after HNLMS De Ruyter, who was conducting counter piracy patrols, stopped two skiffs on 19 February 120 nautical miles off the S
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Centenary Wedgewood Bowl is an annual award for Humanitarian Aid and International Relations. The recipient of the award for 2012 is RFA Fort Rosalie for her outstanding contribution towards international relations. RFA Fort Rosalie was deployed to the Caribbean from Decemb
In an unusual turn of events, the Royal Navy’s duty search and rescue helicopter was called to assist in four separate incidents in the Lake District on Saturday (23 Feb). All four calls were to assist with injured climbers on Helvellyn, Swirral Edge, Scafell Pike and St Sunday Crag. During the cour
A Royal Navy survey ship has produced a series of stunning images of a Grand Canyon-style ocean floor hidden deep under the Red Sea. HMS Enterprise used her state-of-the-art surveying equipment to reveal the natural wonder during her nine-month mission to improve understanding of the waters east of
VIDEO: Queen Elizabeth Class Brought to Life BAE Systems, together with Thales UK, Babcock and the UK Ministry of Defence (the Aircraft Carrier Alliance) has ventured on a major endeavor with the construction of the biggest aircraft carrier ever to be built in Britain, HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is
After navigating the Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb strait, French frigate FS Courbet has joined EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia – Operation Atalanta. The French frigate replaces the FS Surcouf, who has been operating within the EU counter-piracy operation since last December. On Monday 18 February
As part of the Fisheries Monitoring Plan for 2013, the offshore patrol boat ‘Tarifa’ will participate in the International Joint Deployment Plan in the Bay of Biscay for the deep sea fishing campaign in the northeastern Atlantic. Several ships and aircraft from different nations will deploy in the a
As part of its ongoing support contract to Navy Command Finland, Malvern based defence and security specialist, 3SDL, provided technical support to the Finnish Navy during the recent week long Sea Acceptance Testing onboard the 1,450 ton Minelayer FNS Uusimaa. The complex series of tests involving L
Rolls-Royce marked the beginning of construction of its Core Manufacturing Facility at Raynesway, Derby on February 20 with a ground-breaking ceremony conducted by Vice Admiral Sir Andrew Mathews, Ministry of Defence (MoD). The new facility, which will be a phased-build programme, will replace exist
After a three-month absence, HMS Bristol is back where she belongs – at the foot of Whale Island – after being moved to a new berth. Tugs moved the veteran destroyer to her new berth, created to allow larger vessels to use the nearby international port. The Falklands veteran, which serves as floatin
