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Base Portsmouth News

20 Sep 2021

Fitzgerald Honored as he Retires from the US Coast Guard Reserve

Freehill Hogan & Mahar LLP Partner Daniel Fitzgerald retired from the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve in a ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington D.C. Photo courtesy Freehill Hogan & Mahar LLP.

Freehill Hogan & Mahar LLP Partner Daniel Fitzgerald retired from the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve in a ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington D.C., this summer.Rear Admiral Melissa Bert presided over the ceremony, which was attended by family, friends and Coast Guard colleagues who worked with Fitzgerald over the past 28 years. Fitzgerald retired from his last duty assignment in Washington D.C. where he served as the Senior Reserve Judge Advocate (RJAG) for the entire Coast Guard Reserve.

17 Nov 2019

Prince of Wales Maiden Visit to Home Port

Britain's newest aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales sails into home port of Portsmouth Naval Base for the first time.The £3.1 billion warship left Rosyth dockyard, Scotland, where it was built in September before undergoing eight weeks of sea trials.The ship’s arrival into Portsmouth represents the culmination of 16 years of work by the ACA – a unique alliance relationship between BAE Systems, Babcock, Thales, and the UK Ministry of Defence.More than 10,000 people across the UK have been involved in the program to deliver the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, with six British shipbuilding yards across the country playing a vital role in the ships’ design and construction.Sir Simon Lister…

13 Mar 2018

Man Overboard: Bulker Crewman Missing off Virginia

The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies are searching for a missing crewman who fell overboard from an anchored bulk carrier near Cape Charles, Va., Tuesday.   The 33-year-old Chinese crewman reportedly went overboard early Tuesday morning while fastening a ladder on the starboard quarter of the 770-foot Hong Kong flagged cargo ship Lara Venture at the Cape Charles Anchorage.   He was not wearing a life jacket and last seen wearing orange coveralls and a dark blue jacket, the Coast Guard said.   Coast Guard helicopter crews are searching for the missing crewman along with the crews of Cutter Sea Horse from Base Portsmouth and a Virginia pilot vessel.   The Coast Guard has issued an urgent marine information broadcast.

16 Aug 2017

Theresa May hails HMS Queen Elizabeth

The Royal Navy’s new flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth berthed in her home port of Portsmouth early on Wednesday morning and was greeted Prime Minister Theresa May visited the aircraft carrier and hailed it as a symbol of the UK’s maritime might, said a press release from UK Chamber of Shipping. “Britain truly has the best sailors, marines and officers in the world and I believe that you deserve the very best equipment. That is what we have with HMS Queen Elizabeth. This ship is a symbol of the United Kingdom as a great global, maritime nation,” the prime minister said in an address. “Clearly, she is a stunning piece of twenty-first-century engineering and a true testament to British shipbuilding and design. Six shipyards from across the United Kingdom contributed sections of this vessel.

01 Aug 2015

On USCG Anniversary, Gov. McAuliffe Urges Hurricane Preparedness

Gov. Terry McAuliffe encouraged Virginians to get ready for hurricane season and provided an update on the commonwealth’s preparations Friday at a press conference in Portsmouth at Coast Guard Base Portsmouth. The governor also presented Rear Adm. Stephen Metruck, commander of the 5th Coast Guard District, with a proclamation in recognition of the U.S. Coast Guard’s 225th birthday, which the service will celebrate Tuesday. Brian Moran, Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, Aubrey Layne, Virginia Secretary of Transportation, and Dr. Jeff Stern, State Coordinator, Virginia Department of Emergency Management also spoke about hurricane preparedness, and fielded media questions.

25 Jun 2015

New Vessel Traffic Management System for Portsmouth

Image courtesy of BAE Systems

BAE Systems has been awarded a £5.5 million contract to install a new Vessel Traffic Management System to assist in the controlling and monitoring of all ship movements within Portsmouth Harbor and the Eastern Solent. The contract is the latest development in the partnering agreement between BAE Systems, the Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defense to modernize HM Naval Base Portsmouth and prepare for the arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth, the first of the four acre, 65,000 metric ton aircraft carriers to be based in Portsmouth.

10 Sep 2014

HMS Prince of Wales Assembly Begins

Photo courtesy of BAE Systems

Construction of HMS Prince of Wales, the second of two new aircraft carriers for the U.K. Royal Navy, has moved forward with the docking of two of the ship’s largest hull sections – Lower Block 02 and Lower Block 03. The movement of the blocks into the dock at Rosyth marks the beginning of the ship’s assembly phase and comes only days after Prime Minister David Cameron announced that HMS Prince of Wales will enter into service, ensuring that the U.K. will always have one aircraft carrier available.

28 Aug 2014

HMS Prince of Wales Hull Departs for Rosyth

Hull section of HMS Prince of Wales (Photo: BAE Systems)

A huge section of hull for HMS Prince of Wales, the second Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier, has today begun its delivery voyage from HM Naval Base Portsmouth – the future home of the Queen Elizabeth Class. Mick Ord, Managing Director at BAE Systems Naval Ships, said, “This is a significant milestone for the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier program and a particularly proud one for the team in Portsmouth whose contribution to delivering the nation’s flagships has been outstanding.

28 May 2014

New Warship for Oman’s Royal Navy

HM Naval Base Portsmouth was lit up red, white and green this morning as BAE Systems handed over the third of three new warships to the Royal Navy of Oman. AL RASIKH is a 99 meter corvette designed, built and delivered as part of Project Khareef. The Interim Acceptance ceremony was attended by dignitaries from both Oman and the U.K. who witnessed the ship’s crew board the vessel to raise the National Flag of Oman for the first time. Mick Ord, Managing Director of BAE Systems Naval Ships, said, “This is a proud day for the Royal Navy of Oman as it takes ownership of the third Khareef Class corvette, which has been completed to the highest standard. Portsmouth’s iconic Spinnaker Tower also joined the colorful celebrations by lighting up in Oman’s national colors.

07 Nov 2013

Offshore Patrol Vessel Contracts to Ease UK Shipbuilding Hiatus

RN River-class patrol boats: Photo credit MOD

The 3 new ships will be built by BAE Systems at their shipyards on the Clyde in a deal that will sustain jobs in the UK’s warship-building industry, and will play a key role in counter-terrorism, counter-piracy and anti-smuggling operations, according to a UK MOD announcement. The agreement with BAE Systems provides work for the company between the completion of the Queen Elizabeth-Class aircraft carriers and the Type 26 Global Combat Ship, securing the vital skills needed to build the UK’s future warships.

28 Oct 2013

Oman Navy to Receive New Warship

Al Rahmani, the second of three Khareef Class corvettes designed and built by BAE Systems, will be handed over to the Royal Navy of Oman in a ceremony at HM Naval Base Portsmouth Wednesday, October 30, 2013. Her Interim Acceptance, in which the ship’s title is transferred before sailing to Oman, marks an important milestone for the project. The Khareef Class corvettes are equipped to defend against both surface and air threats with stealth features to operate undetected, an innovative hull design and electric propulsion to provide exceptional maneuverability. The ship is capable of undertaking a range of operations including coastal patrols, disaster relief, search and rescue, and deterrence operations. baesystems.com

22 Aug 2013

Coast Guard Medevacs Two from Tug Near Norfolk, Va.

The Coast Guard medevaced two crewmembers from the Elizabeth Anne, a 99-foot tug, Thursday, in the Elizabeth River approximately three miles southwest of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. A crewmember aboard the Elizabeth Anne contacted Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads watchstanders via VHF-FM channel 16 at approximately 7:45 a.m., reporting a parted chain injured two crewmembers. Sector Hampton Roads watchstanders dispatched a crew aboard a 25-foot Response Boat - Small from Coast Guard Station Portsmouth to assist. The RB-S crew arrived on scene at approximately 8 a.m. and removed the two crewmembers. "The crew worked seamlessly together to stabilize the victim," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Linden Hannon, a crewmember aboard the RB-S from Station Portsmouth.

06 Aug 2013

Coast Guard Establishes Incident Management Assistance Team

USCG photo

The Coast Guard formally established the Incident Management Assistance Team during a ceremony held at Base Portsmouth Thursday morning. The IMAT is the first full-time, national incident management team comprised of 41 active and reserve military and civilian personnel. The IMAT supports the operational commander in complex incident crisis management for all-hazard, all-threat incidents and events. The team is a rapidly deployable, scalable resource that addresses capability gaps within an incident management organization wherever required.

03 Apr 2013

Type 45 Destroyer Duncan Delivered to the Royal Navy

The sixth and final Type 45 destroyer, Duncan, has been delivered to HM Naval Base Portsmouth by BAE Systems and will be handed over to the U.K. Ministry of Defense at a ceremony. Duncan arrived into her new home of Portsmouth for the first time this morning with a combined BAE Systems and Royal Navy crew. The official handover ceremony will take place on the ship’s flightdeck with the crew raising the White Ensign on the ship for the first time to signify her acceptance by the Ministry of Defense.

12 Mar 2013

New Brazilian Warship Departs the U.K.

Photo: BAE Systems

The latest addition to the Brazilian Navy’s fleet departed the UK in the snow for her new home in Rio de Janeiro where she will strengthen Brazil’s maritime security. Apa is the second of three Amazonas Class Ocean Patrol Vessels being delivered to the Brazilian Navy by BAE Systems. Her sister ship, Amazonas, completed the crossing last year, while the final ship, Araguari, will be handed over in June. BAE Systems employees and the Brazilian Navy support team, who are working in partnership to deliver the class of ships, gathered on the dockside at HM Naval Base Portsmouth where she departed.

26 Jul 2012

Britain's Latest Warship Sails to Home Port

HMS Defender: Photo credit UK MOD

The Royal Navy's newest Type 45 destroyer, 'HMS Defender', sails to her new home at Naval Base Portsmouth. The ship's arrival at her new base brings Defender a step closer to her first deployment. She will now undergo sea trials before being declared ready for operations in 2013. Armed with the world-leading Sea Viper missile defence system, the 7,500-tonne vessel is able to defend against multiple attacks from even the most sophisticated anti-ship missiles, approaching from any direction and at supersonic speeds.