I was slow to follow this event but it is important. Between 23 and 27 April 2012, the sole Ukrainian submarine Zaporizya conducted a series of test in the Black Sea. This is the first time that the 42 year old submarine sailed alone since 1992. The Foxtrot (Project 641) class Zaporizya is the only... Continue Reading →
On Board Of The BlackSeaFor Ships
As I have reported earlier, the ships of the BlackSeafor fleet visited Istanbul between 20 and 23 April 2012. They were open to the public and I took the opportunity to visit them all. It was an interesting experience for me as I was able to compare different ships build by very different construction standards... Continue Reading →
Photos Of BlackSeaFor Ships, As They Arrived In Istanbul
The April activation of the BlackSeaFor finished this week and the ships that took part have returned to their home ports. Istanbul was the last stop for the BlackSeafor fleet. The following ships arrived in Istanbul on 20th April 2012 for the port visit. Number Name Nation Participants 158 RFS Tsesar Kunikov (Flagship) Russia Landing Ship F-240 TCG Yavuz Turkey... Continue Reading →
BlackSeaFor Task Force Will Leave Sevastopol
On 17th April 2012, the ships of the BlackSeaFor naval task force will end their port visit in Sevastopol, Ukraine and will be sailing again for further training. This is the google translation of the official announcement from the Ukraine Defence Ministry website: April 10-12 ships, after four-day stay in the port of Constanta (Romania), which began on April 6... Continue Reading →
The April Activation Of The BlackSeaFor Has Started
On 6th April 2012 the Spring Activation of the call-on naval task force BlackSeaFor has started in Constanta, Romania. The Russian Federation is in command of the BlackSeaFor since August 2011 and the Russian landing ship Tsesar Kunikov is the flagship of the force. This activation of the BlackSeaFor will last until 24th April. during this period the... Continue Reading →
Turkish Navy Starts Deniz Yıldızı 2012 Exercise
According to the official announcement made from Turkish Navy website the naval exercise Deniz Yıldızı 2012 has started today. The exercise will be conducted in the Black Sea and Marmara Sea. 8 frigates (half of the inventory), 1 corvette, 3 submarines, 7 fast attack craft, 4 auxiliaries, 4 maritime patrol aircraft, 6 helicopters and various special forces and EOD... Continue Reading →
TCG Işın The Workhorse of The Salvage Command
A-589 TCG Işın one of the salvage vessels of Turkish Navy has been very busy since 16th January 2012. On 16th January one T-37 training plane from Turkish Air Force crashed off Foça, İzmir during a routine training flight. A-589 TCG Işın was of the ships that was dispatched to find the wreck of the planer... Continue Reading →
Romania Ratifies U.S. Missile Shield Agreement
According to Defence News, Romanian parliament ratified to host ballistic missile intercepting missiles on her soil as she has agreed before. The Romanian parliament ratified an accord to host U.S. missile interceptors on its soil on Dec. 6, a day before a meeting of the 28 NATO members in Brussels. The Senate unanimously adopted the... Continue Reading →
Bulgaria Decommissions Her Last Submarine
Yesterday, just as expected and reported, the last submarine was decommissioned from Bulgarian Navy. The decommissioning of Romeo (Project 633) class BNS Slava means the termination of Bulgaria’s submarine force after 94 years. The Romeo class, derived from the German Type XXI submarine, by Soviet Union in 1950. BNS Slava was given to Bulgarian Navy in 1986. She is well beyond her useful... Continue Reading →
USS Ramage Is In Bodrum While USS Philippine Sea Arrvies In Sevastopol
The Arleigh Burke class US Navy destroyer DDG-61 USS Ramage arrived yesterday in Bodrum, Muğla for a three day port visit. Unlike previous port calls in Turkey, this liberty call is going to be an eventful one. Yesterday a small group of protesters belonging to Turkish Communist Party protested against the US Naval presence in Bodrum and... Continue Reading →
