Vessels
Spanish frigates alternate in migrant-saving operation Sophia
Spanish Navy’s Santa María-class frigate Navarra departed Naval Base Rota to relieve sister-ship Reina Sofía in EUNAVFOR’s operation Sophia which is a mission to prevent loss of life at sea in the Mediterranean Sea. The two frigates will meet in Augusta, Italy for the handover ceremony. Operation So
Royal Navy ships respond to mayday call off Isle of Man
A Royal Navy frigate and an offshore patrol vessel responded to a mayday call issued in the morning hours of September 21 from a sinking small boat off the Isle of Man. HMS Somerset scrambled her helicopter while HMS Severn rushed to the scene as it was just 20 miles away when it received the call.
Spanish offshore patrol boat heads for African deployment
Spanish Navy offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Serviola set sail from Ferrol to conduct a series of activities with African navies as part of the Defense Diplomacy Plan and a follow-on of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) initiative. These deployments are intended to enhance maritime security and coop
Royal Navy frigate to engage Scotland public
Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset will sail up the Clyde river in Scotland this weekend for a period of local engagement, the Royal Navy said. The Clyde-built Warship, one of thirteen Type 23 Duke-class frigates in service with the Royal Navy, arrives in Govan’s King George V Dock late on Friday eveni
US Navy amphibious assault ship launches NATO’s Sea Sparrow missile
U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) launched the NATO Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missile to engage a target drone during a fleet firing exercise. The missile was launched on September 18 off the coast of the U.S. territory of Guam during the biennial Valiant Shield exerc
France receives second Bâtiment multi-mission ship
The French Navy has taken delivery of the second Kership-built Bâtiment multi-mission ship named Bougainville. The second of overall three vessels in the class was delivered on September 16 and will soon head for its homeport in Papeete in French Polynesia. Kership, a joint venture between DCNS and
Watch a carrier based F/A-18 E/F jet launch JSOW C-1 to sink old US frigate
The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command has recently shared a video of an F/A-18 E/F strike aircraft firing the newest Joint Standoff Weapon, JSOW C-1, to sink the decommissioned frigate USS Rentz. The F/A-18 E/F fighter jet from USS Ronald Reagan’s air wing deployed the weapon during the U.S. exercise V
Royal Navy flagship deploys to lead task force against ISIS
Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean has sailed from Plymouth on a 6.5-month deployment during which it will serve as command ship for the international Combined Task Force 50 commander who will lead counter-terrorist activities. The amphibious assault ship will first form part of a UK Joint Expeditionary
New Zealand Navy tanker to feature Rolls Royce’s wave-piercing hull form
New Zealand Navy’s new 23,000t Polar-class logistics support vessel, which will replace the 30-year-old tanker HMNZS Endeavour, will become the first naval vessel to feature Rolls-Royce’s Environship leadge bow, the company announced September 20. Rolls-Royce has signed a contract with Hyundai Heavy
USS Fort Worth concludes Marshall Islands stop en route to San Diego
U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) departed Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, on September 18, after a brief stop en route to Naval Base San Diego. Fort Worth arrived in Kwajalein September 17 for refueling and stores onload prior to continuing the transit to he
USS Montgomery becomes fifth LCS to break down within a year
The U.S. Navy has confirmed that the newest littoral combat ship USS Montgomery which the Navy received in June this year, experienced two unrelated casualties within a 24-hour period while transiting from Mobile, Alabama, to her homeport of San Diego on September 13. USS Montgomery is the fifth lit
US Navy names two fleet tankers after civil and human rights icons
The U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced September 19, that ships five and six of the next generation of fleet replenishment oilers will be named USNS Lucy Stone (T-AO 209) and USNS Sojourner Truth (T-AO 210). T-AO 209 and T-AO 210 are the final ships of a six-unit batch authorized for con
Maritime patrol aircraft airdrops supplies to counter piracy ship in Gulf of Aden
A German maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft (MPRA) airdropped supplies to the Dutch Navy frigate HLNMS Tromp at sea in the Gulf of Aden. Both the ship and the plane are currently deployed to operation Atalanta and counter piracy activities off the coast of Somalia. The purpose of the over f
Australian Navy cadets embark HMAS Leeuwin for hydrographic experience
Royal Australian Navy cadets had an opportunity to witness hydrographic operations at sea when they embarked in HMAS Leeuwin with Hydrographic Survey Red Crew for a 10 week survey task off Western Australia’s North West Shelf. When Leeuwin sailed from Cairns for trials, the ship’s company took the o