Vessels
BAE Systems, SAIC to Build US Marine ACVs
The U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command awarded a total of $225.3M for the development and production of a new Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV). SAIC, the American-based government contractor, received a $121.5M contract and BAE Systems recieved $103.7M for the build of initial 13 prototypes. The two c
USS Fort Worth Maiden Deployment Turns One
US Navy’s littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) surpassed the one-year mark on her scheduled 16-month rotational deployment to Singapore in support of the Indo-Asia-Pacific rebalance November 17. Fort Worth deployed from San Diego on November 17, 2014 and operates out of Singapore as a mainten
US,UK Marines Conclude Exercise Blue Raptor
U.S. Marine Corps Osprey aircraft embarked on Royal Navy’s HMS Ocean transferred Royal and US Marines ashore Corsica during a simulated beach assault which rounded off Exercise Blue Raptor. The soldiers from Arbroath-based 45 Commando Royal Marines have been working with their US colleagues for the
USS Stethem Joins PLA Navy for Drills in East China Sea
The U.S. Navy’s destroyer USS Stethem teamed with People’s Liberation Army-Navy PLA(N) guided-missile frigate Xuzhou (FFG 530) to practice the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) and conduct a search-and-rescue (SAR) exercise on November 20. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile ship, Steth
French Navy to Receive New Polar Logistics Vessel
A new Polar Logistics Vessel being built for Terre Australes et Antarctiques Françaises (TAAF) and the French Polar Institute (IPEV), and which will be operated by the French Navy, is scheduled to be delivered in the first half of 2017. The 72-metre polar logistics and patrol icebreaker vessel will
UK Announces £178 B of Defence Investment
UK’s new defence plan envisions the commissioning of new Type 26 Global Combat Ships from the mid-2020s, upgraded maritime helicopters and the new aircraft carrier in operating capability by 2020. This plan is backed with a £178 B budget which represents a £12 B increase on previous plans. The Natio
Gorch Fock Visits Wilhelmshaven, Germany
German sailing ship SSS Gorch Fock will sail into Wilhelmshaven on Wednesday, November 25. The ship left its homeport in Kiel 90 days ago with the goal of preparing 226 midshipmen for their future duties. During this time, the white three-mast sailed 5.590 sea miles, 80 % of which was on sail. Looki
Update: French Aircraft Carrier Begins Operations Against ISIS
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian confirmed that the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle would be ready to start operations against ISIL on Monday, November 23. The ship was sent to Syrian waters last week as part of a regular French Navy Arromanches 2 mission which is in its eighth iteratio
Russian Large ASW Ship Enters the Red Sea
The Northern Fleet large anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ship Vice Admiral Kulakov, finished passing the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean Sea into the Red Sea on November 20. Prior to entering the Red Sea offshore ocean zone, the crew of the Udaloy-class destroyer conducted training on damage control
South Korean Navy Ships in New York
Two South Korean Navy ships arrived in New York on November 22. According to Yonhap News, the ships will spend four days in the Manhattan Cruise Terminal and then depart for Colombia on Wednesday. The 630 Korean sailors arrived on board the 134 meters long supply ship ROKS Dae Cheong and the 150-met
US Coast Guard Offloads $765 M of Cocaine
The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded more than 25 tons of cocaine seized in the Eastern Pacific Ocean drug transit zone off the coast of Central and South America in San Diego, USA. The contraband, hauled from the decks of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf at the Port of San Diego Tenth Avenue Marine Termin
HMS Duncan in the Black Sea
Britain’s newest warship, HMS Duncan, spent a week in the Black Sea with the Romanian and Bulgarian Navies. Fresh from operations in the Gulf, the ship sailed through the Bosphorus to work with NATO allies. Operating off Burgas, Bulgaria, and Constanța, Romania, the destroyer carried out training ma
Austal Launches USS Omaha
The U.S. Navy’s future USS Omaha (LCS 12) and fourth Austal-built littoral combat ship was launched in Mobile, Alabama on November 20. Omaha was rolled out of her assembly bay at the Austal USA Shipyard onto a barge for transfer down the Mobile River to a floating drydock at BAE Shipyard on November
Le Samuel Beckett Rescues Another 111 Migrants
Irish Navy vessel LÉ Samuel Beckett rescued 111 migrants in a rescue operation 32 nautical miles off the Lybian coast on November 19. The Irish offshore patrol vessel was tasked by the Italian Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre (IMRCC) to investigate an inflatable rubber craft upon which the vessel