January 19-25 Weekly Log Update

WEEKLY LOG UPDATE January 19 – 25

NAVAL OPERATIONS

CHINA 15th ESCORT TASK FORCE NONE 16th ESCORT TASK FORCE NONE Second Chinese Carrier (Jan 25) Local Chinese news agencies announce the construction of a second Chinese aircraft carrier, western experts debate it's abilities and Chinese predictions to build 4-carriers by 2020, since the build time of 1-carrier is typically 6-years alone (Defense News) PLAN Changbai Shan (Amphibious Landing Ship) (Jan 23) @ S. China Sea; Battlegroup conducts amphibious exercises and long-range training training near Xisha Islands (Peoples Daily) (Jan 22) @ Xisha Islands; Battlegroups completes 2-day patrol of islands, Flotilla commander landed on the islands to great the garrison troops following a 20-minute amphibious landing exercise (Peoples daily) (Jan 20) @ Sanya; Changbaishan Battlegroup departs for training in S. China Sea (Peoples Daily) ...Escorts include PLAN Changbaishan (Amphibious Landing Ship) PLAN Haikou (Destroyer) PLAN Wuhan (Destroyer) FRANCE WEST AFRICA CORYMBE TASK FORCE (Jan 19) @ Atlantic off Senegal; FS Dixmude and Cmdt L'Herminier respond to distress signal from small fishing boat capsized 12-miles off Dakar, 1-fisherman rescued and transferred to Senegalese Coast Guard, 2-bodies were recovered (MOD) GABIAN 2014 – MAJOR QUARTERLY NAVAL EXERCISE (Jan 20-24) @ Mediterranean; French naval forces conduct major quarterly naval exercise GABIAN-2014 (MOD) ...units include FS Capricorn (MCM) FS Cassard (DDG) FS Cmdt Ducuing (FFG) FS Dupleix (DDG) FS Lyre (MCM) FS Marne (Supply) FS Orion (MCM) FS Tonnerre (LHD) FS Var (Supply) FS Charles De Gaulle (Carrier) (Jan 23) @ Arabian Gulf; French battlegroup and USS Truman CSG continue interoperability training (MOD) RUSSIA MEDITERRANEAN TASK FORCE (Jan 25) @ Mediterranean; RFS Pyotr Veliky (Battle-Cruiser) and PLAN Yancheng (Frigate) begin compatibility training exercises in preparation for escorting Syrian chemical weapons for destruction (RIA Novosti) RFS Admiral Nakhimov (Battle-Cruiser) (Jan 24) Sevmash Shipyards; shipbuilder announces the battle-cruiser has begun a long delayed modernization refit, Russia plans to return all four battle-cruisers to service by 2018 (RIA Novosti) RFS Kuznetsov (Carrier) (Jan 24) @ Mediterranean; Carrier Battlegroup is conducting air combat exercises off Spain's Balearic Islands (RIA Novosti) UNITED KINGDOM HMS Argyll (Type-23 Frigate) (Jan 20) @ London; Frigate departs London, enroute to Devonport for training in preparation for Caribbean deployment (UK-RN) HMS Daring (Destroyer) (Jan 23) @ Jakarta, Indonesia; UK Destroyer on Far east patrol makes friendly port visit, engaging in fun run and cooking competition (UK-RN) HMS Portland (Type-23 Frigate) (Jan 24) @ Lisbon, Portugal; UK Frigate makes first visit of Atlantic patrol (UK-RN) HMS Protector (Ice Patrol Ship) (Jan 21) @ S. Georgia; Ship arrives to conduct hydrographic and dive operations, and assists S. Georgian government in beach habitat cleanup (UK-RN) HMS Richmond (Type-23 Frigate) (Jan 24) @ Panama Canal; Frigate transits canal for first time (UK-RN) (Jan 20) @ Panama City; Frigate arrives to replenish supplies, preparing to transit canal into Caribbean (UK-RN) HMAS Darwin (Frigate) (Jan 19) @ Sydney; Australian frigate departs for OPERATION SLIPPER patrol in Middle East AOR for 7-months, will be relieving HMAS Melbourne (AU-Navy) UNITED STATES US CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS NONE US AMPHIBIOUS READY GROUPS & COMMAND SHIPS USS Blue Ridge (LLC-19) (Jan 21) @ Yokosuka; US Senator Rubio visits command ship USS Blue Ridge and cruiser Shiloh while in homeport (USN) USS BH Richard (LHD-6) (Jan 22-23) @ Sasebo; Forward-deployed Assault Ship begins ammo onload in preparation for it's next patrol (USN) USS Makin Island (LHD-8) (Jan 17) @ San Diego; Assault Ship completes 9-day sea trials following 13-month PMA maintenance (USN) US WARSHIPS KOA KAI 14-1 NAVAL EXERCISE (Jan 24-31) @ Hawaii; Integrated Maritime Exercise KOA KAI 14-1 begins off Hawaii, exercise prepares warships tasked with future independent deployments for flight operations, anti-surface / submarine training (USN) ...Units include USS Cape George (CG-71) USS Chosin (CG-65) USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93) USS Halsey (DDG-97) USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) USS Lake Erie (CG-70) USS O'Kane (DDG-77) USS Port Royal (CG-73) USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) HMCS Protecteur (Supply Ship) Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing – 2 Commander, Submarine Force US Pacific Fleet Commander, DESRON-31 Hawaii Air National Guard (USAF) HMSS-37 MAG-24 VMFA-224 (USMC) 25th Combat Aviation Brigade USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) (Jan 24) @ Norfolk; Dep. A.SECDEF visits ship to evaluate ships MDS system, in preparation for destroyers upcoming deployment to Mediterranean as BMD patrol ship (USN) USS Seawolf (SSN-21) (Jan 21) @ Bremerton; US fast-attack submarine returns from 6-month deployment (USN) USS Spruance (DDG-111) (Jan 22) @ Singapore; Commander US Pacific Fleet visits destroyer during port visit (USN) (Jan 18) @ Singapore Strait; sailors from destroyer rescue Filipino mariner that fell overboard in Strait OTHER REGIONAL POWERS / ORGANIZATIONS EU – OPERATION ATALANTA (CTF-465) (Jan 18) @ Gulf of Aden; FS Siroco (Landing Ship) responds to overnight failed pirate attack on Nave Atropos, tracks the fast-boats with help from Japanese PC-3 , captures 5-pirates and frees 11-Indian sailors (MOD) NATO – OPERATION OCEAN SHIELD (CTF-508) (Patrolled by NATO-SNMG-2) (Jan 23) @ Gulf of Aden; Following a formal exchange of letters signed by NATO and New Zealand, HMNZS Te Mana (Frigate) joins CTF-508 anti-piracy patrol (NATO) NATO – SNMG-1 (Jan 24) @ Bergen, Norway; Norway takes command of NATO-SNMG-1 naval patrol aboard the new fleet flagship HNOMS Thor Heyerdahl (Fridtjof Nansen Class Frigate), the next SNMG-1 battlegroup plans to patrol the Arctic, Mediterranean and Straits of Gibraltar (NATO) GERMANY (Jan 24) @ London, UK; FGS Schleswig-Holstein (Frigate) visits London for the weekend, Frigate will participate in COUGAR-14 (UK-RN) (Jan 20) @ Warnemunde; FGS Magdeburg (K130 – Brunswick Class Corvette) departs for SNMG-1 patrol (Bundesmarine) ITALY (Jan 22) Italian DEFMIN visits ITS San Marco (Amphibious Assault Ship) following the rescue of 20-migrants off Sicily (DIFESA) (Jan 10-14) @ Kenya; ITS Cavour (Carrier) and Etna (Supply Ship) visit Mombasa, conduct medical humanitarian check-ups and surgeries at isolated villages in Kenya (DIFESA)

GROUND OPERATIONS

AFRICA NONE AMERICAS NONE ASIA / PACIFIC NONE EUROPE NONE