U.S. 3rd Fleet’s Expeditionary Strike Group 3 (ESG 3) and I Marine Expeditionary Force’s (IMEF) 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade (1st MEB) along with coalition partners from Canada, New Zealand and Japan completed the multilateral amphibious exercise Dawn Blitz (DB13), June 28. The two-week exercise
Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Ottawa, recently departed Esquimalt, B.C., for the eastern Pacific Ocean to support Operation Caribbe, Canada’s contribution to the multinational campaign against illicit trafficking by transnational organized crime in the Americas and the Caribbean. The Halifax-cl
Mariners aboard USNS Seay (T-AKR 302) rendered assistance to a commercial vessel in distress while underway in the Indian Ocean, June 25. Raptor, a 49-foot, Australian-flagged catamaran, radioed Seay, a Navy ship assigned to Diego Garcia-based Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron Two, indicating th
The Navy and Lockheed Martin, with Marinette Marine Corp., held a keel-laying ceremony for the future USS Little Rock, the Navy’s ninth littoral combat ship (LCS), June 27, in Marinette, Wis. The keel-laying ceremony recognizes the first joining together of a ship’s components. While modern shipbuil
Rear Adm. Mark L. Tidd, Chief of Navy Chaplains, arrived aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) June 26. Tidd visited the Nimitz Strike Group to conduct training with chaplains while also visiting Sailors and leaders. “I appreciate the opportunity to be aboard Nimitz and to spend a little b
The Royal Australian Navy has joined forces with the United States Navy (USN) and Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) to participate in a tri-lateral exercise, Pacific bond 2013, June 22-26. Pacific Bond is a multi-national naval exercise designed to advance participating nations’ military-to-
The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) embarked Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in support of joint force operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility, June 25. During the onload, Bonhomme Richard’s combat cargo department loaded mo
Command of Naval Air Station Kingsville changed hands June 21. Capt. Christopher Misner assumed command from Capt. Mark McLaughlin during a traditional change of command ceremony at the air station Club. The ceremony not only marked the changing of command for the naval air station, but also the end
The U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier departed Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan for its 2013 patrol, June 26. This marks USS George Washington’s (CVN 73) fifth patrol of the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility since relieving the now-decommissioned USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) in 2008.
The U.S. Navy has deployed the MK18 Mod 2 Kingfish underwater unmanned vehicle for operations in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility, following more than 30 sorties over 15 days of mock deployment testing in the Gulf of Mexico, the Navy announced June 20. Kingfish is an autonomous underwater unmann
Maritime forces from four countries began participation in the multinational naval exercise FRUKUS, in port Brest, France, June 25. FRUKUS, which is led this year by the French navy, is focused on improving maritime security through open dialogue and increased training of the participating nations,
Guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) returned to its homeport of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam June 24 following a nine-month deployment to the Western Pacific and U.S. Central Command areas of responsibility. “We have been gone 277 days and we are just thrilled to be home to the Nav
OSI Maritime Systems (OSI) has signed a Letter of Award with Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS), Malaysia. Under the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, BNS will build six Gowind-class corvettes for the Royal Malaysian Navy. Under the terms of this agreement, OSI will deliver six Integrated Navigation an
What happens when the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection and Royal Netherlands Navy work together? A $24 million drug bust. The multi-agency seizure of 1,517 pounds of cocaine – estimated to have a wholesale value of more than $24 million – all began with a suspicious go-fast vessel. The cre
