Update: The Grande America has sunk in the Bay of Biscay. The crew of the HMS Argyll rescued 27 crew members of the roll-on/roll-off containership Grande America who were forced to abandon ship due to a fire on board in the Bay in Biscay overnight. The frigate, which was on her way home to Plymouth after nine-month deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, responded to … [Read more...]
Royal Navy Warship Upsets China
by Andy MacAskill (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday admitted that talk by its defense minister of deploying a warship in the Pacific had complicated the delicate relationship with China. When asked directly on BBC radio if the relationship had been damaged by Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson’s threat to deploy a new aircraft carrier to the Pacific, finance minister Philip … [Read more...]
U.K. to Step Up Arctic Patrols to Counter Russian Polar Threat
By Kitty Donaldson (Bloomberg) -- The U.K. will send Royal Marines to Norway’s Arctic training program because of the growing threat of Russian aggression in the area as the polar cap melts. Some 800 marines will be deployed to Norway and four Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter planes will patrol Icelandic Skies, Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson told his ruling Conservative … [Read more...]
RMS St. Helena to Return as Anti-Piracy Armory in Gulf of Oman
By Joe Brock JOHANNESBURG, April 17 (Reuters) - The RMS St. Helena, Britain's last working postal ship, was for nearly three decades the main source of contact between one of humanity's remotest islands and the outside world. Now the ship, cherished by the 4,500 residents of British-ruled St. Helena, will start a new life as a floating armory, packed with automatic weapons, … [Read more...]
New Royal Navy Base Opens In Bahrain
by John Konrad (gCaptain) The United Kingdom opened a permanent naval base in Bahrain on Thursday. The ceremony formally opening the UK Naval Support Facility was attended by Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Britain’s Prince Andrew. The Naval Support Facility will play a central role in the UK’s ability to operate in the region, and will be the hub of … [Read more...]