Two Canadian Navy coastal defence vessels, Edmonton and Saskatoon departed Esquimalt, Canada on February 12 to participate in Operation Caribbe 2016. HMC Ships Edmonton and Saskatoon are the second pair of several Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) ships that will participate on Operation Caribbe 2016. Bef
The Belgian Navy’s new Caiman helicopters, which became operational in August of 2015, are now preparing for the naval aspect of their jobs. Therefore, the crew of the RN03 call-signed Caiman went to the Netherlands Naval Air Station De Kooy where they practiced deck landings on the Dutch patrol ves
Operation Atalanta Force Commander, Rear Admiral Stefano Barbieri on February 10 welcomed Captain Khyber Zaman, the Commanding Officer of PNS Saif to ITS Carabiniere, the mission flagship. The Italian warship has been deployed with the European Union’s counter-piracy operation in the Indian Ocean si
Spanish Marine Corps Special Naval Warfare Force (FGNE in its Spanish initials) exercised with the Spanish 5th Aircraft Squadron made up of Sikorsky SH-3D helicopters in Cartagena, Spain. The purpose of the training exercise was to implement common operational procedures and enhance interoperability
Four ships from NATO’s Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group TWO (SNMCMG2) arrived in Batumi, Georgia on February 12. The fifth member of the Group, Italian Navy minehunter Gaeta, will arrive later in the visit. Under the command of Captain Ramazan Kesgin, Turkish Navy, the Group includes the fl
U.S. Navy’s future amphibious assault ship USS Portland (LPD 27) was launched at the Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) shipyard February 13. The ship was transferred from the land level facility to the drydock, which was then flooded allowing her to float off the blocks. Captain Darren Plath, LPD
Three Indian Navy ships, the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, guided missile destroyer Mysore and the Fincantieri-built replenishment oiler Deepak are scheduled to visit Male, Maldives from February 15 – 18. The ships are part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet based at Mumbai. INS Vikramaditya, one o
Two Royal Navy Type 23 frigates HMS Iron Duke and Monmouth on February 12 arrived in the Norwegian city of Bergen ahead of NATO war games around the fjords. Iron Duke is assigned to NATO’s Standing Group 1 – the first RN ship in more than a decade to attach to the formation, which patrols the [&hell
820 Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, whose Merlin’s are set to be the first helicopters on the Queen Elizabeth carrier, now have a new commander. On February 8, Commander Jon Holroyd took the helm of RNAS Culdrose’s 820 Naval Air Squadron from his predecessor Commander Ros
British outsourcing company Serco has contracted Dutch shipbuilder Damen to build a new tug which will help the company support the Royal Navy carriers at Portsmouth Naval Base under a marine services contract it has with the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD). According to Serco vessel will be the firs
The U.S. Navy yesterday said that the future amphibious landing ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) is scheduled to be homeported at Naval Base San Diego following its commissioning in summer 2016. John P. Murtha is a San Antonio-class amphibious landing ship being built by Huntington Ingalls Industrie
NATO ships will be patrolling the Aegean Sea on the look out for people smugglers in the region. The patrols will monitor migrant and smuggler movement in waters between Greece and Turkey. This decision with immediate effect came from a joint German, Greek and Turkish initiative at a NATO meeting in
Pakistani Navy Chief, Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah, paid a visit to EU NAVFOR’s operational headquarters in London, UK, February 11. He was welcomed by the Deputy Commander, Rear Admiral Jonas Wikstrӧm. During the visit both Admirals welcomed the good cooperation that exists at sea between Operation A
Dredging operations at the HMNB Portsmouth naval base have unearthed an iron canon whose age and identity are yet to be identified. The relic was recovered during a seabed clearance which is part of a £31 million programme to dredge Portsmouth Harbour to make it wide and deep enough for the 2 new Ro
