Author: Rick BAYLEY

Rick aggregates Australian Navy and international maritime related news for the Naval Officers Association of Australia

South China Sea Build Programs

China and Vietnam Pick Up Island-Building Activity in S. China Sea Barque Canada Reef; the dredged channel and Vietnamese outpost are just visible at center (Sentinel-2) PUBLISHED DEC 20, 2022 Land-claim activity is heating up in the Spratly Islands, the chain of reefs and atolls in the South China Sea that are claimed by six […]

Royal Thai Navy Corvette Sinking

  Sequential press reports covering the sinking. December 18, 2022 6:29 PM 38 Thai corvette HTMS Sukhothai listing starboard after taking on water on Dec. 18, 2022. Royal Thai Navy Photo The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) corvette HTMS Sukhothai (FS-442) sank in the Gulf of Thailand at 11:30 p.m. local time on Sunday 18 December […]

AUKUS Build in US Considerations

AUKUS Lets US Slow New Sub Deliveries, Fix Submarine Maintenance Problems Congressman Rob Wittman, a Virginian eager to claim the top U.S. House spot as America’s next naval tastemaker, has dumped a bunch of cold water on the idea of building Australian submarines in the United States, claiming that the U.S. cannot afford to interrupt […]

Indian Navy Fighter

Rafale-M Fighter Edges Out F/A-18 Super Hornet in Equipping INS Vikrant Forward movement by the Indian Navy would mean that the proposal for more Rafale jets for the IAF is also likely to gather speed New Delhi: French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation’s Rafale-M has emerged as frontrunner to bag a mega contract from the Indian […]

Ghost Shark USV

Australia Unveils ‘Ghost Shark’ Unmanned Submarine Prototype The testbed for Australia’s “Ghost Shark” unmanned submarine. Photo: VADM Mark Hammond RAN Australia has unveiled an early prototype of its “Ghost Shark” unmanned submarine for testing and experimentation. A 2.8-ton “Dive-LD” autonomous submarine testbed arrived in the country recently, marking a significant milestone in the extra-large autonomous […]

RN Adaptable Strike Frigate Delays

UK drops funding of future Type 32 Frigate and Multirole Support Ships, for now BAE Systems Adaptable Strike Frigate is considered a leading contender to secure a Type 32 Frigate production contract.  “In July 2022 Navy Command withdrew its plans for Type 32 frigates and MRSS because of concerns about unaffordability,” said the UK’s National […]

Scrap Iron Flotilla

BOOK REVIEW BY KEVIN RICKARD On Sunday September 3rd 1939, history was tumbling over itself.  On board HMAS Stuart in the mess decks and the wardroom the radios were tuned for the latest news. That evening they heard the British PM, Neville Chamberlain announce that Berlin had not replied to the British ultimatum for Germany […]

Deep Sea Mining – A Blessing or a Curse

More Governments Are Turning Against the Deep Sea Mining Rush November 7, 2022 As world leaders gather at the United Nations climate summit in Egypt this week, another international meeting is underway in Jamaica to decide the fate of the planet’s oceans. The UN-affiliated International Seabed Authority is convening in Kingston to fast-track regulations that […]

One for the Engineers

Navy Installs 3D Printer for Metal Parts on USS Bataan Loading a three dimensional printer aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), Oct 9.  ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has installed a 3D printer capable of producing metal parts for ships on the amphibious ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) in an […]

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