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HMS Queen Elizabeth to conduct trials as she heads out to sea again after repairs

David Sivills-McCann

22nd July 2024 at 11:55am

Watch: HMS Queen Elizabeth heads back to sea after repairs

HMS Queen Elizabeth is heading out to sea after spending the last few months undergoing repair work at Rosyth Dockyard.

The 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier travelled down the Firth of Forth following the completion of work to fix her propeller shaft.

Repair work to her starboard propellor shaft was needed after a malfunction prevented her from taking part in Exercise Steadfast Defender.

The ship has not yet resumed duties and will conduct trials before returning home to Portsmouth naval base, Forces News understands.

It was a delicate operation getting HMS Queen Elizabeth down the Firth of Forth as she had to wait for low tide to help her get under the three bridges that span the opening of the river.

People gathered by the waterside to catch a glimpse of the carrier and get some pictures of the impressive sight.

HMS QE aircraft carrier has travelled down the Firth of Forth 22072024 CREDIT BFBS
With her repair work completed, HMS Queen Elizabeth is ready to resume her duties

Her sister ship HMS Prince of Wales had to take her place while the repair work to her starboard propellor shaft was carried out.

The aircraft carrier returned home to Portsmouth in March after taking part in Ex Steadfast Defender – Nato’s biggest exercise since the Cold War.

During the Nato training, HMS Prince of Wales was joined by more than 30 ships, four submarines, multiple aircraft – from maritime patrol aircraft to F-35 Lightning jets – and more than 20,000 personnel from nations including Canada, Denmark, France and Spain.

American B-52s brush off encounter with Russian jets, arrive as planned at Romania base By JOHN VANDIVER STARS AND STRIPES • July 22, 2024

Two B-52H Stratofortresses from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., fly in formation with fighter jets from Romania and Finland as they arrive at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, on July 21, 2024. Earlier in the day, the B-52s were intercepted by two Russian aircraft over the Barents Sea. (Seth Watson/U.S. Air Force)

STUTTGART, Germany — Two U.S. Air Force long-range bombers that had a close encounter over the weekend with Russian fighters over the Barents Sea landed at an allied base near the Black Sea hours later, according to the service. The arrival of the B-52H Stratofortress bombers at Romania’s Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base on Sunday marks the first time U.S. strategic bombers have operated from the installation, U.S. Air Forces Europe and Africa said the same day. The base, known as MK to forces deployed there, serves as the main operational hub for the U.S. military in the Black Sea region. It is undergoing a multibillion-dollar expansion by NATO that will make it larger than even Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Earlier in the day, the bombers were intercepted more than 1,000 miles away by Russian fighters over the Barents Sea on a preplanned mission that involved coordination with NATO fighter planes, USAFE-AF said. “The U.S. aircraft did not change course due to the intercept and continued along their scheduled flight plan without incident,” USAFE said. The B-52s, assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, are in Europe in connection with the Air Force’s ongoing bomber task force missions, which involve short-term deployments to the Continent.

Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/branches/air_force/2024-07-22/b-52-bombers-romania-russia-14558361.html?utm_source=Stars+and+Stripes+Emails&utm_campaign=Daily+Headlines&utm_medium=email
Source – Stars and Stripes

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USS Josephus Daniels (DLG/CG-27) a Belknap-class destroyer leader / cruiser. She was named for Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy during World War I. She was launched as DLG-27, a frigate, and reclassified as a cruiser on 30 June 1975.

(1024 x 738) USS Josephus Daniels (DLG/CG-27) a Belknap-class destroyer leader / cruiser. She was named for Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy during World War I. She was launched as DLG-27, a frigate, and reclassified as a cruiser on 30 June 1975.
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Royal Australian Navy Fires NSM for the First Time (video) – To be installed on Hobart and Anzac Class ships

HMAS Sydney fires Royal Australian Navy’s first Naval Strike Missile during a SINKEX off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii as a part of Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024. This is aligned to Government Direction announced in the 2022 Defence Strategic Review and in the 2024 National Defence Strategy.

The Royal Australian Navy has achieved a major milestone in integrating enhanced lethality strike capabilities into the surface combatant fleet as directed by Government.

Naval News Staff  22 Jul 2024

Australian Department of Defence press release

Hobart class destroyer, HMAS Sydney, has conducted a successful firing of the Naval Strike Missile, Navy’s replacement for the ageing Harpoon weapon system.

The firing was conducted during Exercise RIMPAC 2024, being hosted by the United States Navy off Hawaii, during a simulated activity which tested the sinking of Ex-USS Tarawa LHA1.

This is a major milestone towards achieving the objectives of the National Defence Strategy by enhancing Defence’s integrated, focused force, and a great example of Defence’s collaboration with industry and international partners.

HMAS Sydney – built at Osborne in South Australia – is a guided missile destroyer that can provide air defence and maritime protection for accompanying ships, land forces and infrastructure in coastal areas.

Naval Strike Missile
HMAS Sydney fires Royal Australian Navy’s first Naval Strike Missile during a SINKEX off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii as a part of Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024.

Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy said:

​”This collaboration between Defence and industry partner Kongsberg Defence Australia, along with local Australian companies such as Marand, Aerobond, Australian Precision Technologies, Nupress Group, Axiom Precision Manufacturing and Stahl Metall, demonstrates the Australian Government’s commitment to working with defence industry to accelerate enhanced lethality capability integration.

“The National Defence Strategy outlined a strategy of denial as the cornerstone of Defence planning to prevent any potential adversary from succeeding in coercing Australia through force, while supporting regional security and prosperity.

“This firing was an excellent example of Defence, our international partners and Australian industry working together to accelerate the delivery of new capability to promote regional stability.

“Australia’s strategic environment is changing rapidly, the introduction of Naval Strike Missile allows our Navy’s surface ships to conduct long range maritime strike and delivers on our promise to increase the capability and lethality of our Navy.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hHENjUZSHBA%3Ffeature%3Doembed

The Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, said:

“HMAS Sydney’s firing of Naval Strike Missile during RIMPAC 2024 represents a significant increase in the lethality of our surface fleet, and delivers on our commitment to accelerate the introduction of enhanced lethality strike capabilities.

“Naval Strike Missile is a key capability for the lethality enhancement and survivability of our ships and enables our ability to hold an adversary at risk at greater range.

“Multi-domain strike capabilities including Naval Strike Missile are foundational to deterring any potential adversary’s attempts to project power against Australia.”

U.S. Navy Embarks Expeditionary Medical Unit aboard USNS Cody for Test and Evaluation

MOBILE, Alabama (May 2, 2024) USNS Cody (T-EPF 14) moored pier side in the harbor at Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. Cody is configured to embark the first Expeditionary Medical Unit (EMU), which consists of health services and support personnel that provides advance trauma management and emergency medical treatment across the spectrum of warfare.

The U.S. Navy is embarking the first Expeditionary Medical Unit (EMU), a cutting-edge medical support system with personnel from EMU-1 designed to provide Role 2 (R2) level healthcare services both afloat and ashore, aboard the expeditionary fast transport USNS Cody (T-EPF 14) at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, July 15-26.

Naval News Staff  20 Jul 2024

NAVSEA press release

EMUs will enhance medical support in various military and humanitarian missions, ensuring comprehensive care from the sea to the shore.

EMUs extend the Navy’s R2 care capabilities currently aboard amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers to smaller ships and vessels. It offers a broad spectrum of medical and healthcare services such as biomedical repair, command and control, information technology, sterile supply, medical operations, and patient decontamination provided by medical support personnel.

“The mission of the EMU is to deliver R2 healthcare services with versatile surgeries, intensive care unit, acute care ward, radiology, pharmacy, laboratory, dental service, and combat operational stress control,” said Capt. Jonathan Haase, program manager of the Expeditionary Missions program office. “EMUs are strategically equipped to receive patients from afloat platforms, directly from combat areas to provide patient holding, patient movement, and prolonged field care, based on injury severity and EMU’s specific mission for the Navy.”

As an embarked mission, EMUs are designed to be moveable and transportable, allowing for flexibility in deployment across various naval platforms.

“The EMU onboard the USNS Cody is crucial because it provides a mantle for agile and enhanced surgical intervention,” said Mabinty Chapman, deputy assistant program manager of the Expeditionary Missions program office and retired chief medical corpsman. “The union of dexterity and military medicine is embedded in our Navy’s newest vessel, fulfilling the future standard of damage control surgical care in a distributed maritime environment.”

The equipment for EMUs is contained within ten 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which facilitates the storage and transport of both the authorized medical allowance list and dental allowance list items. These primarily commercial off-the-shelf items are protected by environmental control systems when at sea, ensuring their readiness and functionally across the spectrum of warfare during naval operations.

“The Navy is dedicated to maintaining peace and security through diverse missions, from combat operations to humanitarian assistance,” concluded Haase. “With the introductions of the EMU, the Navy will continue its commitment to providing exceptional medical care and support to service members and affected communities worldwide.”

USS Boxer Back on Deployment After Repairs

Sam LaGrone – July 17, 2024 6:49 PM

USS Boxer (LHD-4) leaving San Diego on July 16, 2024. San Diego Web Cam Photo

Amphibious warship USS Boxer (LHD-4) is underway and has resumed its deployment after an emergency rudder repair, USNI News has learned.
Boxer left San Diego, Calif., on Tuesday, according to ship spotters. Boxer was there after a brief port visit to fuel and crane off an MV-22B that was damaged in a deck-handling mishap, a Navy spokesperson told USNI News.

“Following a successful operational test of its rudders, the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD-4) and embarked elements of the 15 Marine Expeditionary Unit departed San Diego, conducting pre-deployment training and operations in U.S. 3rd Fleet,” reads a July 14 statement to USNI News.
“It remains on schedule for an Indo-Pacific deployment.”

Now, Boxer will continue its deployment that paused in April after the big deck’s starboard rudder was damaged. The April start for Boxer and amphibious warship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49) was already three months after USS Somerset (LPD-25) left San Diego in January.

Among the exercises Somerset and the embarked 15th MEU participated in were Cobra Gold in Thailand, U.S.-Philippines exercise Balikatan 2024 in the Philippines and U.S.-Malaysia exercise Tiger Strike 2024 in Malaysia. Harpers Ferry joined Somerset for Balikatan in May for the first operational deployment of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle.

Navy officials would not outline the deployment, but Somerset and Harpers Ferry are both operating in the vicinity of Hawaii. Somerset is currently part of the Rim of the Pacific 2024 exercise.

“Nearly 1,400 U.S. Marines assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Sailors assigned to the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock Somerset will participate [in the exercise],” reads a statement from the Marine Corps.

Marines with the 15th MEU arrived in Hawaii aboard USS Germantown (LSD-42) to join the exercise, according to the service.

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