Kuril Islands News

Russia will conduct missile launches and torpedo tests as part of a surprise inspection of its Pacific naval fleet, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday.The drills come amid heightened tension in the Asia-Pacific region, as the United States and South Korea conduct joint air exercises following an intercontinental ballistic missile test by North Korea."The main objective of this inspection is to increase the ability of the Armed Forces to repel the aggression of a probable enemy from the direction of ocean and sea…

The United States on Saturday denied that it had carried out military operations in Russian territorial waters, after Moscow said a Russian naval vessel chased away a U.S. submarine in Russian waters in the Pacific.Russia accused Washington of breaking international law and creating a national security threat over the incident at a time of high tensions between Moscow and Washington over a Russian military buildup near Ukraine.Interfax news agency cited the Russian Defense Ministry as saying a Russian naval vessel chased away a U.S.

Russia's Nevsky Shipyard has launched the second and final cargo-passenger vessel as part of the PV22 project.The newbuild Pavel Leonov, launched on August 6, is the second vessel in the series of two dry cargo-passenger vessel carriers ordered by Sakhalinlizingflot in August 2018. The series' lead vessel, Admiral Nevelskoy, was launched in May.The 75-meter-long vessels are each designed to transport 146 passengers, general cargo, containers (including refrigerated) and cars between…

Damen's luxury yacht builder Amels has launched a new 77-meter expedition yacht La Datcha.La Datcha’s emergence from her building hall in the Netherlands this week marks the start of the final stages of her build process before she heads on a global charter itinerary which is set to include heli-skiing in Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and dive adventures off Papua New Guinea. This a yacht built for adventure – custom designed to explore the world’s far-reaching destinations without compromising on luxury.

Russian state-controlled shipowner Sovcomflot (SCF) has named the 174,000m³ SCF La Perouse - the first of three LNG tankers on order with South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).The LNG carrier named after Jean-François de la Pérouse, a French explorer of the Pacific.The vessel will operate under a long-term time charter agreement with Total. The event was held at Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries’ shipyard, Republic of Korea. Fleur-Eve Durin le Foll, the spouse of Total’s Country Chair Russia, is the vessel’s sponsor.Sergey Frank, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PAO Sovcomflot, said: “Sovcomflot and Total have enjoyed a strong partnership for many years, and we are happy to have an opportunity to expand this cooperation.

A detachment of F-35B Lightning II's with Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121) arrived aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) March 5, marking the first time the aircraft has deployed aboard a U.S. Navy ship and with a Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Indo-Pacific. The F-35B, assigned under the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, will provide a robust set of sea-based capabilities that will enhance Navy-Marine Corps expeditionary operations. The aircraft is equally capable of conducting precision strikes inland, supporting Marines inserted ashore or providing air defense for the Expeditionary Strike Group. "Pairing…

The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) entered U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations Jan. 6 after completing nearly two months of disaster relief efforts in the Caribbean Sea. Wasp departed Norfolk Aug. 30 to replace USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) in Sasebo, Japan as the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship in region. While still in the initial phase of its transit, the ship diverted to the Caribbean on Sept. 4 to assist the U.S. Virgin Islands and Dominica in the wake of Hurricane Irma and then provided assistance to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm regarded as the worst natural disaster in the history of the American commonwealth island. In support of relief efforts, Wasp aircraft flew 108 missions on the U.S.

Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, arrived in Yokosuka Aug. 25, after assuming command Aug. 23. Prior to arrival, he participated in the International Maritime Security Symposium hosted by the Indonesian Navy in Bali, Indonesia. A career submariner, Sawyer has extensive experience as a commander in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. His most recent assignment was deputy commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii. Before that, he was commander, U.S. Submarine Forces Pacific, also in Hawaii; and commander, Submarine Group 7/ Task Force 54 and 74 in Yokosuka. His afloat commands were USS La Jolla (SSN 701) and Submarine Squadron 15 in Guam. A Phoenix native, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering.

1898 - During the Spanish-American War, USS Marblehead (C 11), along with auxiliary cruisers USS Yankee and USS St. Louis, engage the Spanish gunboat Sandoval and the shore batteries at Guantanamo, Cuba for 2 1/2 hours. 1917 - During World War I, U.S. submarine chasers arrive at Corfu, Greece, for anti-submarine patrols. 1942 - Just after dawn, USS Yorktown (CV 5) sinks after being torpedoed the previous day by Japanese submarine (I 168). 1944 - The construction of artificial harbors and sheltered anchorages, also known as Mulberries, begins off the Normandy coast. 1944 - USS Susan B. Anthony (AP 72) strikes a German mine while approaching "Omaha" Beach to land reinforcements. After an unsuccessful effort to contain flooding, she is abandoned and, within a few hours, sinks.

1900 - Sailors and Marines from USS Newark (C 1) and USS Oregon (BB 3) arrive at Peking (now known as Beijing), China, to protect U.S. and foreign diplomatic legations during the Boxer Rebellion. 1918 - USS President Lincoln is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine, (U 90). Twenty-six lives are lost. 1919 - Curtiss flying boat NC 4 lands at Plymouth, England, concluding the first transatlantic flight. 1944 - USS England (DE 635), assisted by six destroyers and destroyer escorts, sinks sixth Japanese submarine in less than two weeks. 1944 - USS Barb (SS 220) and USS Herring (SS 233) attack Japanese shipping in the Sea of Okhotsk about 150 miles west of Matsuwa Island, Kuril Islands, sinking several ships.

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) (NYSE: SAI) announced it has been awarded a contract for the production and delivery of an SAIC Tsunami Buoy (STB) system by the Far Eastern Ecological Center, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, for the Far Eastern Regional Hydrometeorological Research Institute (FERHRI), Vladivostok, Russian Federation. The STB system will be one of the key sensors monitored by the Tsunami Warning Center in the Russian Far East, and will serve as the ocean segment of the Russian Federation tsunami warning system network currently in development.

Off the port side of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60), center, JS Myoko (DDG 175), right, and JS Hamagiri (DD 155) move into position to participate in a photo exercise (PHOTOEX) between the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF). Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group, with embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14, is deployed in support of operations in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility. U.S. USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7 and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 concluded military operations as part of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 7, in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) on April 6. The more than 6,000 Sailors assigned to the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group deployed Jan.

The USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Carrier Strike Group (RRSG) entered the U.S. 7th Fleet’s area of responsibility (AOR) Feb. 9, as part of a surge deployment to promote peace, cooperation and stability in the region. Led by Rear Adm. Charles W. Martoglio, the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group will be filling the role of USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), the Navy’s only permanently forward deployed aircraft carrier, which is undergoing scheduled maintenance in Yokuska, Japan. “Our friends and allies in the region can be assured of continued, robust interaction with our Navy in the form of mutual training opportunities, exchanges, and port visits,” said Martoglio, commander, Carrier Strike Group Seven (CCSG 7).

South Korea said on Wednesday it would lodge a formal protest to Japan against its decision to ban South Korean vessels from fishing in Japanese territorial waters. On Tuesday, Japan notified South Korea that it would bar South Korean fishing boats from its Exclusive Economic Zone in northern Japan in retaliation against a fishing agreement signed between South Korea and Russia last year. Under the agreement, Russia allowed 26 South Korean vessels to fish in the waters around the Kuril Islands. The islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories, were seized by Moscow at the end of World War II, and the dispute over ownership is a diplomatic sore point between Russia and Japan.