RN Commandos to get new amphibious warships with lessons learned from Ukraine
HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark will not be scrapped or mothballed before their planned out-of-service dates of 2033-2034 14th May 2024 at 11:22am Up to six new amphibious warships for the Royal Marines are to be built in the UK, drawing on the lessons learned from the Ukraine war and the Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the first three vessels would definitely be built for Royal Marines, with the other three planned to be constructed. The vessels are known as Multi Role Support Ships (MRSS) – specialist warships that are designed to rapidly deliver the Commando Force onto coastlines around the world to conduct special operations.
Speaking at the annual Sea Power Conference in central London, the Defence Secretary also announced that existing amphibious warfare ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark will not be scrapped or mothballed before their planned out-of-service dates of 2033-2034. He told Forces News he was “very confident about… crossover times”. “Not least because we’re going to keep the existing ships in place for our Royal Marines in the meantime,” he said. “But the good thing about the multi-role design, just as with the Type-26… is they’re designed to be somewhat more modular in design, enabling them to be used in many different use cases.” Additionally, the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key, said if the UK can “move quickly and confidently into contested waters” and is “prepared to do so”, that will become part of the “deterrence messaging” to potential enemies. “That requires all the unique skill sets that we find in the Royal Marines Commandos today and building into the future as part of their transformation,” he said. “But it also requires a means of getting them to work and, when they’re finished doing their work, picking them up and taking them on to the next jobs.” According to Mr Shapps, the three confirmed MRSS vessels are among 28 warships and submarines that are either planned or currently being built. He said: “This is a new golden age for British shipbuilding. “The new vessels for the Royal Marines will help our brave commandos fight the conflicts of the future. “This is all possible because this government has committed to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence by the end of the decade, as part of our plans to deliver a more secure future for you and your family.” Russia’s Black Sea fleet has proved vulnerable to attacks from Ukrainian missiles and drones. And in the Red Sea, Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have used weapons to target merchant vessels and international warships protecting the vital trade routes. In response, the MRSS vessels are designed to carry a broad range of unmanned drones along with vehicles, aircraft and insertion craft. They will also be able to act as primary casualty receiving ships, providing urgent medical care. Under the plans, Type 26 and Type 31 frigates will be built in Scotland, Astute and Dreadnought submarines in Barrow-in-Furness, and Fleet Solid Support ships in Belfast and Devon. In line with the National Shipbuilding Strategy, there will be up to six MRSS built overall, which will replace current capabilities in the early 2030s. This includes the two Landing Platform Docks, three Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliaries) and the Aviation Support Ship RFA Argus. from JC's Naval, Maritime or Military News https://ift.tt/JtGhqir via IFTTT via Blogger https://ift.tt/dzWtY6H May 16, 2024 at 02:29AM See all posts in full - click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/
Audacious class carriers were HMS Eagle (more close) and HMS Ark Royal (far away).
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PACIFIC OCEAN (May 12, 2024) Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) sails through the Pacific Ocean. Abraham Lincoln, flagship of Carrier Strike Group Three, is underway conducting integrated exercises to bolster strike group readiness and capability in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aleksandr Freutel)
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German Navy Wraps Red Sea Mission, Begins Indo-Pacific Deployment
Operational pause for EUNAVFOR Aspides contribution coincides with launch of ambitious Indo-Pacific Deployment. Another frigate to return to Red Sea in August.Alex Luck 10 May 2024 The German Navy this week has finished the first rotation of a warship to the Red Sea. FGS Hessen, an anti air-warfare frigate of the Sachsen-class, arrived in her homeport of Wilhelmshaven on Sunday, May 5th. The ship conducted maritime escort operations in the Red Sea from the end of February until end of April. The deployment ran under EUNAVFOR Aspides, which Germany had signed up to in February this year. The EU-organised operation is one of two major naval deployments by Western navies in response to missile- and drone attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea by the Houthi militia based in Yemen. The United States have organised their own, more robust military response dubbed Prosperity Guardian, also with participation of several European partners including the UK, Denmark and the Netherlands. Successes and some setbacks for Hessen During her two months in the Red Sea FGS Hessen has conducted combat operations at least three times. These included the destruction of several Houthi-drones, both air- and seaborne. They also featured a case of abortive friendly fire and technical issues, as reported by Naval News before. Overall Hessen‘s experience illustrated some growing pains in operational deployments against a robust military threat encountered also by other European navies. Examples include eerily similar operational difficulties encountered by the Danish Navy, and a pre-deployment missile launch failure by the Belgian Navy. Nevertheless Hessen, which was pressed into this deployment on the tail-end of a busy previous period of scheduled exercises abroad, also marked several firsts for a German warship in combat operations seven decades after the end of WW2. This tally included the destruction of Houthi-USV by one of her embarked Sea Lynx-helicopters on March 21, when the drone approached commercial ships protected by Hessen. The ship also conducted a replenishment of her missile stocks in Djibouti in early April. Interestingly Hessen at the time did not restock the spent RAM-missiles launched in the encounter described above. The frigate visibly still featured two missing rounds in the forward launcher on her return to Wilhelmshaven. The German Navy has not disclosed any issues with the replenishment in Djibouti. It is worth noting in this context that RAM comes in several “Block”-variants. German Frigates so far only use the Block 1-standard. The newer Block 2A-version is in use on K130-corvettes and the Block 2B-standard is currently in procurement. Germany will not immediately send another warship to EUNAVFOR Aspides. Instead the service will use Hessen‘s experience to apply lessons learned for a follow-up currently scheduled around August. The resulting gap in addition to other European partners withdrawing forces or delaying follow-ups is currently causing some headaches for the Aspides-force commander over a lack of combatants available to the mission. By late summer Hessen‘s sistership FGS Hamburg will deploy to the Red Sea once again. Commencing “Indo-Pacific Deployment 2024” Meanwhile Berlin has kicked off the long-planned “Indo-Pacific Deployment 2024” (IPD 24) on May 7. The effort includes F125-frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and combat support ship Frankfurt am Main. The two ships left separately from Rota/Spain and Wilhelmshaven respectively. After joining up in the Atlantic Ocean, the formation, carrying a crew of 380 sailors, will first head to Halifax and New York. After exercises with the US and Canadian navies, both ships will pass through the Panama Canal in June. At home political debates on the deployment meanwhile focus on whether the formation will sail through the Taiwan Strait. Officials in Berlin have not yet disclosed any related information. The Foreign Office reportedly objects to the idea, whereas the Ministry of Defence is in favor of it. The Indo-Pacific Deployment will last until at least November. IPD 24 represents the most complex global cruise for a German Navy detachment in many decades. Therefore details are likely contingent on how closely the existing schedule can be met. TAGS German Navy Indopacific Red Sea from JC's Naval, Maritime or Military News https://ift.tt/4yEDjiU via IFTTT via Blogger https://ift.tt/IJ0iUGd May 14, 2024 at 08:24AM See all posts in full - click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/
US Navy ship runs aground after leaving West African port; no injuries reported By ALISON BATH STARS AND STRIPES • May 10, 2024
A U.S. Navy ship participating in a military exercise in the Gulf of Guinea ran aground this week as it was leaving a port in West Africa. The expeditionary sea base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams got stuck around 1 p.m. Thursday, shortly after leaving Libreville, Gabon, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa said Friday in a statement. The ship broke free at about 5 p.m. Thursday at high tide, said Lt. Cmdr. Jason Tross, a spokesman for NAVEUR-AF. There were no injuries or major damage, Tross said. The Navy did not say how far the ship had transited after leaving the port before running aground or if it was accompanied by a tugboat at the time. It also wasn’t stated whether a pilot, often required to help a ship navigate ports, was on board. A pilot was aboard Woody Williams when it came into the port Sunday. Two tugboats helped the ship, which is slightly shorter than an aircraft carrier in length, through the port and into a berthing. The Navy said it wouldn’t release further details due to an ongoing investigation. The ship uses a hybrid crew of about 50 civilian mariners responsible for navigation and maintenance. About three civilians, including a navigator and lookout, typically man the bridge. The ship mostly relies on an automated system for navigation, which can be disengaged if needed. A complement of about 100 Navy sailors man flight and other operations. Woody Williams was in Libreville for the kickoff of the multinational Obangame Express exercise. It wasn’t clear if the grounding would impact the ship’s participation. It was scheduled to participate in testing of a surface drone, among other activities. Woody Williams is the only Navy ship assigned to U.S. Africa Command. Its homeport is at Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete. ALISON BATH Alison Bath reports on the U.S. Navy, including U.S. 6th Fleet, in Europe and Africa. She has reported for a variety of publications in Montana, Nevada and Louisiana, and served as editor of newspapers in Louisiana, Oregon and Washington. Read more at: https://ift.tt/xgG26qu from JC's Naval, Maritime or Military News https://ift.tt/bGxXoE3 via IFTTT via Blogger https://ift.tt/2Hg7Rrj May 13, 2024 at 08:19AM See all posts in full - click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/ |
AuthorJohn Currin served 15 years in the Royal New Zealand Navy and has retained an interest in naval, marine, military and happenings around the world. Archives
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