Navy Quietly Decommissions LCS, Drone Attack on Merchant Tanker, 150 years of Australian Artillery
Channel: 🔥Daily Breaking News🔥
Date: 04/08/2021

The namesake of the Navy’s Independence-class of Littoral Combat Ships left the fleet after 11 years in a small pier-side ceremony in San Diego on Thursday, according to the service. USS Independence (LCS-2) was ceremonially decommissioned at an event not open to the public “due to public health safety and restrictions,” reads a release from Littoral Combat Squadron 1. In a speech, commander Naval Surface Forces, Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener praised the crew for helping the Navy refine how it uses the class of ships. “Without their efforts and experiences, the ship class would not be where it is today with six ships deployed throughout the world. Those improvements, made largely in part due to this crew’s experience and input, will continue to carry the LCS class into the future,” he said in a speech at the pier.

2.   An exploding drone killed two crew members aboard a merchant tanker off the coast of Oman, U.S. 5th Fleet said in a late Friday statement. The two were crew members aboard the Liberian-flagged tanker Mercer Street when the ship was hit with at least one explosive-laden unmanned aerial vehicle late Thursday, according to the statement. U.S. forces responded to the distress call from Mercer Street and “upon arrival, U.S. forces determined through clear visual evidence that an attack had occurred,” reads the statement." Initial indications clearly point to a UAV-style attack.” Of those killed, one crewmember was from Romania and the other was British, London-based Zodiac Maritime, the company that manages the Japanese-owned tanker, said in a statement on Twitter. Zodiac is owned by Israeli business magnate Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group.

3.   GSoldiers from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and 3rd Special Forces Group have participated in the final trial of a new device designed to save the lives of paratroopers landing in water. Dubbed the Parachutist Flotation Device (PFD), the new equipment has flotation bladders that can be inflated through an oral inflation tube or a carbon dioxide gas cylinder to keep soldiers afloat upon landing. According to Senior Mechanical Engineer Dan Shedd, the device is a lifesaver for troopers in combat near bodies of water. “In real-world scenarios, this critical time allows recovery teams to locate and extract jumpers in the event of a water landing,” he said in a press release. Meanwhile, platoon sergeant and jumpmaster Steven Branch commended the PFD, saying the equipment is much easier to rig for static line operations. He commented that he and his colleagues barely noticed that they were wearing the device while parachuting.

4.   HMS Monmouth and HMS Montrose, two Type 23 Frigates vessels, will be given to Greece as part of efforts to ‘sweeten the deal’ to sell the Greek Navy the Type 31 design. it was announced that Montrose as well as sister ship Monmouth would be decommissioned earlier than planned as part of defence’s Integrated Review. As of 2021, Montrose remained deployed East of Suez but was scheduled to return to the UK in 2022, five years earlier than previously planned. As for HMS Monmouth, the long laid-up Type 23 Frigate has now left the fleet leaving the Royal Navy with 12 frigates. The Arrowhead 140 has already been chosen by the UK Royal Navy for its Type 31 future frigate programme. The company is committed to supporting Greek industry to build and assemble the new frigates in Greece.

5.   The Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery (RAA) marked the 150th anniversary of Australian artillery on Sunday. A Commemorative Service was held in celebration to honour past and serving members of the Royal Australian Artillery and its forerunners. Between August and December 2021, the RAA will execute a series of commemorative activities to celebrate and highlight the commencement and ongoing continuous service of the RAA and its various Australian Artillery forebears. Minister for Defence Peter Dutton said the Royal Australian Artillery remains an ever-present feature of the Australian Army’s land warfare capability. “Now is a fitting time to reflect on the establishment of an enduring Australian artillery capability: the batteries, the equipment and most importantly, the Gunners who have served and protected Australia and its national interests for 150 years,” Minister Dutton said.

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