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John Currin

15 years in Royal New Zealand Navy

German Navy Wraps Red Sea Mission, Begins Indo-Pacific Deployment

Hessen has escorted 27 merchant ships during her Red Sea-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.

Hessen has escorted 27 merchant ships during her Red Sea-deployment.

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.

Bridge of German Navy frigate Hessen during combat operations in Red Sea. Image Bundeswehr.

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.

Hessen with Dutch frigate Tromp, before departing the Red Sea. Note RAM-launcher with missing rounds.

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.

Frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg departing Rota, while Spanish and German aircraft conduct a fly-over as farewell. Image Bundeswehr.

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.

Another fly-over by Luftwaffe aircraft in Wilhelmshaven, as Frankfurt am Main is departing her berth.

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

US Navy ship runs aground after leaving West African port; no injuries reported By ALISON BATH STARS AND STRIPES • May 10, 2024

USS Hershel “Woody” Williams pulls into port at Libreville, Gabon, on May 5, 2024, to support the Obangame Express exercise. (Takisha Miller/U.S. Africa Command)

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://www.stripes.com/theaters/africa/2024-05-10/navy-woody-williams-grounded-africa-13817257.html?utm_source=Stars+and+Stripes+Emails&utm_campaign=Daily+Headlines&utm_medium=email
Source – Stars and Stripes

China’s 3rd aircraft carrier completes maiden sea trials, ‘to greatly empower PLA Navy

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By  Liu Xuanzun and Guo YuandanPublished: May 08, 2024 02:46 PM Updated: May 08, 2024 08:52 PM

China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, on Wednesday returned to port after successfully wrapping up its eight-day maiden voyage, marking a concrete step toward the commissioning of the world-class electromagnetic catapult-equipped strategic platform, which will greatly empower the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy to better safeguard peace and stability when faced with maritime and aerial security threats, experts said.

The aircraft carrier Fujian on Wednesday successfully completed its maiden test voyage which lasted for eight days and returned to a pier at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, the PLA Navy said in an announcement on the day. 

During the sea trial, the Fujian completed a series of tests on its subsystems and equipment, including the propulsion and electrical systems, the PLA Navy said, stating that the voyage reached expected results.

The Fujian will continue to carry out follow-up test procedures according to preset plans, the PLA Navy said.

Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times that the first sea trial primarily tested the carrier’s capability in sailing at sea and its maneuverability.

Citing official photos and videos, observers said that the Fujian displayed its powerful propulsion and outstanding mobility by sailing at a high speed and making a sharp turn.

Another vessel could be seen in the distance when the Fujian was photographed dropping its anchor, and analysts said they might have tested the communications systems.

Fu said that the Fujian will need to test radar systems, communications systems, close-in weapons systems and landing systems in future voyage tests.

No aircraft or trails of aircraft landings could be seen on the Fujian‘s flight deck, which is normal because tests on aircraft takeoff and landing usually take place in the later stages of aircraft carrier sea trials, analysts said.

The successful maiden voyage of the Fujian came after it set sail on May 1 from Jiangnan Shipyard, where it was launched on June 17, 2022 and completed mooring tests and equipment calibrations.

Unlike its predecessors, the 60,000 ton-class Liaoning and Shandong that use ski jump ramps to assist aircraft takeoffs, the 80,000 ton-class Fujian is for the first time equipped with three electromagnetic catapults to launch aircraft.

The larger displacement allows the Fujian to carry more aircraft, and the electromagnetic catapults enable the carrier to launch aircraft more efficiently, including launching heavier aircraft, launching more types of aircraft, launching fully loaded aircraft and launching aircraft faster, experts said.

The new designs as well as the intensive use of advanced technologies, particularly the electromagnetic catapults and arresting devices, led to a relatively long mooring test period of nearly two years, and the same reasons could also cause a relatively long sea trial period, another Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The successful maiden voyage has laid a solid foundation for future test voyages, and marks a concrete step toward its commissioning into the PLA Navy, the expert said. “But the PLA Navy follows scientific methods and focuses on combat capability, so it will not hurry in putting the carrier into service unless it is fully ready.”An aerial drone photo shows China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, during its maiden sea trials.The Fujian returned to Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard on May 8, 2024 after completing its maiden sea trials. Photo: Xinhua

An aerial drone photo shows China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, during its maiden sea trials.The Fujian returned to Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard on May 8, 2024 after completing its maiden sea trials. Photo: Xinhua
Strategic significance

At a time when China is facing challenging maritime and aerial security environments, and when the global security environment as a whole is deteriorating, the aircraft carrier Fujian is expected to play important roles in safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and it will contribute to peace and stability in the region, observers said.

The Fujian‘s combat capability is significantly increased compared with the Liaoning and the Shandong, and it is considered the world’s most advanced conventionally powered aircraft carrier, experts told the Global Times.

Thanks to the electromagnetic catapults, the Fujian is expected to host not only improved versions of the J-15 fighter jet, but also new aircraft, including the next generation stealth fighter jet J-35, the fixed wing early warning aircraft the KJ-600 and the JL-10 advanced trainer jet, according to media reports and analyses by observers.

These new aircraft, particularly the J-35 and the KJ-600, will enable the Fujian and its air wings to engage in the most high-end modern warfare, fully capable of rivaling their foreign counterparts, experts said.

Another important aspect is that with the Fujian, the PLA Navy will have three operational aircraft carriers, allowing it to have at least one always in active deployment, with the other two in training or under maintenance, experts said.

As strategic platforms, aircraft carriers will serve as a deterrence and safeguard peace and stability, observers said.

A fourth Chinese aircraft carrier will be unveiled soon and answer the question as to whether it will be nuclear-powered, the PLA Navy’s political commissar Yuan Huazhi said on the sidelines of this year’s two sessions in Beijing in answer to a media question.

Yuan refused to draw comparisons between Chinese and US aircraft carriers, stressing that China’s aircraft carrier program is not aimed at competing with the US, but at safeguarding national sovereignty, territorial integrity and rights.

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) will decommission the Minehunter Coastal (MHC), HMAS Huon, on 30 May 2024.

 

Huon was commissioned into the RAN on 15 May 1999 – 25 years ago – and is the lead ship of the six-strong Huon class. 

Two of its sister ships, HMAS Hawkesbury and HMAS Norman, were similarly decommissioned in 2018 and put up for sale, though no buyers have been found. The current condition of those two ships is unclear. 

TThe MHC vessels were slated to be replaced by a modified version of the of the Arafura class offshore patrol vessel through Project Sea 1905 Tranche 2, however, with cuts to the Arafura class and no mention of Sea 1905 Tranche 2 in the recent Integrated Investment Plan, it’s unclear if or when the MHCs will receive a dedicated replacement. 

The RAN has invited people who have an association with HMAS Huon to express their interest in attending the decommissioning ceremony, which will be held at HMAS Waterhen, via an online form which can be found here. 

USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52)

USS Pearl Harbor

USS Pearl Harbor is a Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship of the United States Navy. She was named for Pearl Harbor, where World War II began for the United States.
Pearl Harbor was laid down on 27 January 1995, by the Avondale Shipyards, New Orleans, La.; launched on 24 February 1996; and commissioned on 30 May 1998.

RFA Ennerdale (A173) was a Dale-class fleet tanker and landing ship (gantry) of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Taken over by the Admiralty and completed as a Landing Ship Gantry carrying 15 LCMs with accommodation for 150 military personnel. Took part in the North African, Italian, and Far East landings.

In August 1943, Captain S.T. Dunster was awarded the OBE. The citation read:

“The ship [RFA Ennerdale] played a vital part in carrying oil and petrol to forces operating off the coast of North Africa and was the focus of sustained and heavy air attacks. So skilfully was she handled by her Master and so efficient was her barrage that she sustained no damage, and performed invaluable work. In addition to this service, her Master did well in two Malta Convoys earlier in the war. His courage and resource have been unfailing.”
In December 1945 she was damaged by a mine at Port Swettenham and returned to UK for repair. After the war she resumed freighting duties as a tanker.

Ennerdale was sold to the British Iron & Steel Corporation for scrapping and broken up 1959-60.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RFA_Ennerdale_(A173)