Tag: MCM

HMS Ramsey Returns from SNMCMG1

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August 12, 2019 – HMS Ramsey has returned home following a four-month NATO deployment. The HMNB Clyde-based Sandown- class minehunter was working with Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) in the Baltic and North Sea. Throughout the deployment, HMS Ramsey and her 40-strong crew have conducted maritime security, historical ordnance disposal and multinational exercises alongside the UK’s NATO maritime partners and allies. Deploying after a period of training with Flag Officer Sea Training, HMS Ramsey joined the task group in Gothenburg, Sweden before moving into the Baltic Sea. The…

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RFS Korovets Practices MCM Skills

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May 14, 2019 (Google Translation) – The Black Sea Fleet is undergoing a routine training of naval elements and combat exercises as part of the development of the second special course task – “Navigation and combat with a single ship”. In particular, the crew of the sea-sweeper “Kovrovets” performs the setting of minefields and trawls, the control and reconnaissance search and the destruction of the minefield site by contact and non-contact trawls. During the anti-mine warfare exercises, artillery bombardment of floating mines and naval exercises to undermine mines in various…

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French Minister of the Armed Forces Pleased With Dutch/Belgian Equipment Choices

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April 3, 2019 (Google Translation) – Florence Parly, Minister of the Armed Forces, welcomes the offer of the Belgium Naval & Robotics consortium, bringing together French industrials Naval Group and ECA Robotics, to renew the capacity of the Belgian and Dutch navies against submarine mines. The minister welcomes this cooperation of three active countries for a stronger defense Europe. This choice is a continuation of a long-standing close relationship in this field between France, Belgium and the Netherlands, since the minesweepers currently used by the Navy and the Belgian and…

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Russian Baltic Fleet Trains for Departure Behind MCM Ships

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March 27, 2019 (Google Translation) – The shipboard sweeping group (KTG) as part of the basic minesweeper Novocheboksarsk and the road sweeper of the RT-252 compound of the protection of the water area of ​​the Baltic naval base during the exercise developed the mine action support for the deployment of the Baltic Fleet shipboard forces. The crew of the minesweepers carried out the tasks of wiring the ship’s shock group consisting of the corvettes “Boky”, “Resistant” and “savvy” behind the trawls and forcing the minefield. Also, in the course of…

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USS Chief Arrives in Manila

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March 17, 2019 – The Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Chief (MCM 14) arrived in Manila, Philippines, March 17, for a port visit. Chief is visiting Manila while operating in U.S. 7th Fleet to work with our Philippines partners to strengthen regional security and stability, and enhance interoperability. “The crew of Chief is thrilled at the opportunity to visit Manila,” said Lt. Cmdr. Fred Crayton, commanding officer of Chief. “Our camaraderie with the Philippines is one of our most enduring relationships in the Indo-Pacific region. The Filipino people are some…

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Recognition for maritime mine clearers

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March 13, 2019 (Google Translation) – After the Second World War, mines from the so-called Kathy Mijnen Party helped to clear the Dutch coast from mines. Five of them were given the diving coach and EOD pin today in Den Helder. 4 other veterans could not come to the naval city due to their old age. They receive the awards at home. With the award, the navy still thanks the men for their efforts and dedication in clearing thousands of German sea mines. Among them the so-called Kustenmine A or…

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Marshal Ustinov Practices Minefield Penetration

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March 13, 2019 (Google Translation) – The crew of the Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser completed the forcing of conditional minefields along the protected fairway at the exit to the Barents Sea. The mines training for the deployment of surface forces of the Northern Fleet was provided by a group of minesweepers of the Kola Flotilla of heterogeneous forces within the basic minesweepers Elnya and Kolomna. In the course of the exercise, mine-sweeping ships completed joint maneuvering and tactics for the use of contact and acoustic trawls designed to search for…

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New mine clearance vessels for the Ministry of Defense

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March 15, 2019 (Google Translation) – The 12 new mine combat vessels for the Belgian and Dutch navies are being built by a consortium led by the French company Naval Group. Both cabinets today agreed with the Naval Group proposal, which came out best after a European tender led by the Belgians. The decision is a new milestone in the 70-year maritime cooperation between neighboring countries. Today’s mine miners are more than 30 years old and approaching the end of their lifespan. Operationally they are no longer able to cope…

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AN/AQS-20C Sonar System Completes Developmental Testing

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February 26, 2019 – The Navy announced completion of developmental testing for the AN/AQS-20C mine-hunting sonar system at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, Feb. 26. The AQS-20C is the next generation of the AN/AQS-20 system designed to be incorporated into the Littoral Combat Ship Mine Countermeasures Mission Package. The system consists of four sonar arrays: two side-looking arrays; a gap-filler sonar array; and a forward-looking sonar array providing simultaneous detection, localization and classification of bottom mines, close-tethered moored mines and volume-moored mines. The system delivers high-definition images of…

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Gascoyne Makes Way for Minewarfare Course

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February 14, 2019 – In their first week at sea in 2019, the new Commanding Officer of HMAS Gascoyne and his Ship’s Company hosted the newest officers of the Mine Warfare community for their final sea assessment week. The visiting members of the Mine Warfare Officer Course demonstrated their consolidated skills in mine warfare serials by classifying, identifying and counter-mining sea mines (exercise mines). Under the supervision of instructors and the ship’s staff, the course participants conducted mine disposal vehicle runs which reinforced the importance of practicing mine warfare while…

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Caspian Flotilla Conducts MCM & ASW Training

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October 3, 2018 (Google Translation) – Combining the ships guarding the water area of ​​the Caspian Flotilla together with aviation carried out anti-submarine and anti-mine search operations. During the exercise, the ship group consisting of small anti-submarine ships and minesweepers with the support of the Su-24M bomber link, the Be-12 aircraft and Ka-27 helicopters carried out a control search of enemy submarines and anti-ship mines on the fairway of the main ship fleet fleet. combat mission. In addition, the crews of anti-submarine ships carried out combat shooting at air and…

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RIMPAC Mine Warfare Operations Underway in SOCAL

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Commander Task Force (CTF) 177, led by U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Dave Welch, commander, Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) and the Navy’s Global Mine Warfare Commander, kicked off the Southern California (SOCAL) portion of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) with mine warfare training operations which run from June 27 to Aug. 2. CTF 177 is comprised of 26 units with approximately 1,100 personnel representing the United States, Australia, Canada, England, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand. It will conduct advanced mine warfare operations including mine countermeasure…

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NATO Participating in Open Spirit Historical Mine Clearance Operation

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May 11, 2018 – Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) is joining mine countermeasures vessels and experts from multiple nations in Tallinn, Estonia to conduct historical ordnance clearance operation Open Spirit in the waters near Estonia. Open Spirit is held each year in the Baltic Sea and organized by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on a rotating basis and is designed to clear historical sea mines and other live ordnance on the seafloor left over from the First and Second World Wars. The operation also serves as an opportunity for…

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Regional Mine Warfare teams unite to secure regional trade

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The risk posed by sea mines is a key focus at this year’s Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) Mine Countermeasures and Diving Exercise (MCM DIVEX), hosted by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on the New South Wales south coast. MCM DIVEX is hosted by a WPNS member every two years. This year’s exercise is being held at HMAS Creswell. Commander of Australian Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving Squadron, Commander Brett Dawe, said teams from 18 nations are spending a fortnight learning from each other’s experiences. “Each nation taking part in…

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Royal Navy gets first unmanned minesweeping system

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An autonomous minesweeper system that can safely clear sea lanes of mines has been handed over to the Royal Navy, Defence Minister Guto Bebb announced. Following a period of successful trials the demonstrator system could go on to be used by the Royal Navy in the future to defeat the threat of modern digital mines. The system has been designed and manufactured by Atlas Elektronik UK in Dorset, under a £13 million contract with the Ministry of Defence which has sustained around 20 jobs and created 15 new jobs with…

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