On spring leave for a week.

 

US & Egypt Enhance Maritime Partnership with Patrol Craft Transfer.

 

On this day in 2004, the hull of the last HMNB Devonport dockyard built Royal Navy warship was scuttled in Whitsand Bay, Cornwall, to make an artificial reef. Built for £6.5 Million and commissioned in 1970 Scylla was a Leander Class Frigate. She paid off in 1993.

 

HMS Enterprise, survey vessel, makes her final entry into Portsmouth ahead of her formal decommissioning ceremony to be held on Friday.

 

Troopship Queen Mary arrives in New York Harbour, 20 June 1945, returning US Troops back from WWII.

 

HMS Northumberland arriving in Rosyth, Scotland.

 

HMS Northumberland arriving in Rosyth, Scotland.

 

Congress only authorised two battleships in each fiscal year (thus the series of two-ship battleship classes), but the New Mexico class contained three ships. Mississippi and New Mexico were funded by Congress, but the new USS Idaho (BB 42) was funded by selling two older battleships (USS Mississippi BB 23 and USS Idaho BB 24) to Greece. The Idaho was commissioned into the US Navy on 24 March 1919. On 11 May 1943 the Idaho provided fire support for the invasion of Attu. She also supported the invasion of Kiska on 15 August, but the Japanese had evacuated the island in late July and there was no fighting. On 27 July the Idaho was involved in the 'battle of the pips' when she and the Mississippi fired 518 rounds of 14in shells at false radar contacts in near zero visibility. The ten active 'old' battleships were formed together in Task Force 54 (Rear Admiral Deyo). The Idaho was part of the Gunfire and Covering Group, and flagship of Group 4 (Idaho and West Virginia). The ten battleships were split into five groups: Group 1: Texas, Maryland; Group 2 Arkansas, Colorado; Group 3 Tennessee and Nevada; Group 4 Idaho, West Virginia; Group 5 New Mexico and New York.

 

USS Kidd (DDG 100) Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided missile destroyer leaving San Diego - November 18, 2022

 

Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender is this week celebrating 10 years since her commissioning in Portsmouth. Over the past decade, she has sailed 275,632 nautical miles; spent 26,635 hours or 1,109 days at sea; visited 31 countries and sailed in six oceans.

 

On this day in 1922, USS Jupiter (Fuel Ship No.3) is recommissioned as USS Langley (CV 1), the Navy's first aircraft carrier. Today, aircraft carriers are the Navy’s preeminent power projection platform and serve the nation’s interest in times of war and peace.

 

Research vessel Petrel toppled over in dry dock at Leith on Wednesday. 7 are still in hospital with injuries. Petrel had been laid up in Lieth since 2020 but was bought by the US Navy Naval Facilities Engineering & Expeditionary Warfare Center in Sept 2022 for $12.4M.

 

In the last 12 months, a significant number of Royal Navy vessels have been retired. The Royal Navy has decommissioned 6 ships in the last year.

 

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) transits the Atlantic Ocean, March 19, 2023.

 

Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force's Taigei, Sōryū & Oyashio-class submarines, Kure Base, 24/03/2023.

 

HMSMontrose makes an unexpected departure today following RN's announcement that she had made her last entry into Portsmouth on 17th March. (Due to formally decommission on 17th April).

 

Famous Class USCG Cuter in a floating dock

 

HMS Somerset in Copenhagen after a busy period of training at Jointwarrior with NATO allies., and during the exrcise, sub hunting.

 

HMS Victory and a replica of the schooner HMS Pickle. HMS Pickle was the ship to deliver news of victory in the Battle of Trafalgar to Britain.

 

A line of Casablanca-class escort carriers lie at anchor in Ulithi Atoll during 1945.

 

Cold War Face to face. The Royal Navy's Lynx helicopter over the deck of the Soviet aircraft carrier Baku.

 

USS Jarrett (FFG 33) is guided into the port of Kemaman, alongside USS Ford (FFG 54) as both ships arrives for the Malaysian phase of exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training 2007.

 

HMS Defender using her Sea Viper air missile defence system during Exercise Formidable Shield

 

Sails of a different sort in the 1950's: Razorback (SS-394) is outboard, Spinax (SS-489) in center, British sub inboard.

 

NJS Yamato fitting out.

 

Upkeep of USS Cod (SS-224).

https://eu.goerie.com/story/news/local/2021/08/12/u-s-s-cod-wwii-submarine-return-cleveland-after-repairs-erie/5547112001/

On this day 30 years ago, the Type 82 Destroyer HMS Bristol, the only ship in her class, replaced the County Class GMD HMS Kent as the HMNB Portsmouth Harbour Training Ship. Commissioned 20 years earlier in 1973 she has served the Royal Navy for nearly 50 years but is now marked for disposal.

 

RFA Argus has now fitted with single Phalanx CIWS mount in preparation for her new role as Littoral Strike Ship. In the last week has been conducting flying training with Army Air Corps Apache helicopters in Portland and Torbay areas.

 

Today 81 years ago the Second Battle of Sirte takes place SE of the island of Malta in the Mediterranean when a British convoy is attacked by a Regia Marina squadron. HMS Cleopatra throws smoke to shield the convoy as HMS Euryalus prepares to engage the Italian fleet.

 

HMS Foudroyant, one time flagship to Lord Nelson, is wrecked off Blackpool in 1897. The Foudroyant, launched in 1798, was the flagship of Admiral Nelson after the Battle of the Nile, from June 1799 to June 1800. In 1892 she was about to be broken up but was saved and restored to her original state. To offset the restoration cost of £20,000 she was put on display at seaside resorts. On 16 June 1897, she dragged her moorings during a violent storm and ran ashore on the pleasure beach at Blackpool, near the North Pier. There was no loss of life but she was badly damaged, and in November she was dashed to pieces by winter gales. She continued to be a major attraction to visitors, however, and all salvageable timber and metal was used to produce pieces of memorabilia and furniture.