Commodore Aage Buur Jensen and key members of his staff visited NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) on Friday, 12 December 2014, to formally hand over command of Standing Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) and NATO’s counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD Task Force 508 (TF-508). Vice Admiral Peter Hudson, C
HMAS Toowoomba completed a successful Operation MANITOU maritime security deployment to the Middle East Region on Saturday, 13 December 2014, and is heading home to Perth. Deployed as part of Australia’s Joint Task Force 633, Toowoomba conducted security patrols as part of the international communit
Lockheed Martin Corp., Mission Systems and Training, is being awarded a $235,3 million firm-fixed-price contract for MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) electronic and mechanical modules and related equipment. The MK 41 VLS provides a missile launching system for CG 47 and DDG 51 class surface com
The US Coast Guard and a good Samaritan rescued four people whose boat caught fire off the coast of Murrells Inlet, south of Myrtle Beach, Sunday. Rescued were two men and two women. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Charleston received the initial report over VHF Channel 16 at approximately 11 a.
HMS Defender returned to her home in Portsmouth on December 12, after more than six months deployed on high intensity operations in the Northern Gulf. The ship has spent part of her deployment supporting the US-led Carrier Task Group and her F18s conducting strikes in the fight against ISIL. The Typ
Sailors aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley (DDG-101) received approximately 120 supply pallets during a replenishment-at-sea, Dec. 02. The pallets were received via vertical replenishment (VERTREP) between the Gridley and Military Sealift Command Fleet Replenishment Oile
The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) departed Salalah after a four-day port visit, Dec. 3. While in port, Sailors from Dewey were able to enjoy liberty and partake in various Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) sponsored events. There were many tours offered in Sala
The U.S. Navy completed tests on the GhostSwimmer unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story (JEBLC-FS), Dec. 11. GhostSwimmer is the latest in a series of science-fiction-turned-reality projects developed by the chief of naval operations’ Rapid Innovation
U.S. Navy frigate USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) returned from its final deployment Dec. 12, where it operated in the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR). The ship will begin to make preparations for decommissioning after 30 years of service. During this final dep
The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) was recognized, along with three other organizations, as the winner of the 2014 Best Workforce Development Program in the U.S. Government award, Dec. 1. The eighth-annual award was sponsored by the Human Capital Management for Government (HCMG) Train
Senior leaders from U.S. 7th Fleet visited Colombo, Sri Lanka and Male, Maldives and attended the Galle Dialogues international Maritime Conference Dec. 1-6, building relationships to improve maritime security in the Indo-Asia Pacific. While in Sri Lanka, 7th Fleet leaders met with officials from th
The U.S. Navy’s duty oiler in the Mediterranean Sea, fleet replenishment oiler USNS Leroy Grumman (T-AO 195), is currently finishing a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea supplying the U.S. Navy and its allies with fuel and supplies at sea, Dec. 11, 2014. Grumman, a Military Sealift Comman
Portsmouth-based frigate HMS Kent joined forces with a US Navy carrier strike group when she linked up with the USS Carl Vinson in the Persian Gulf. The Type 23 has also been helping French allies during her first major work period upon arrival in the Middle East. The Vinson is carrying out strikes
The U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) and ships from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (Navy) PLA(N) commenced a bilateral counter-piracy exercise, U.S.-China Counter-Piracy Exercise 15, in the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa, Dec 11. Aiming to promote partnership, st