July 6, 1916, a fortified sector of Pirnar, Greece, on the Salonika front along the Vardar River, showing a well-sandbagged artillery position held by French bachi-capped and pith-helmeted sailors on a “dirt” cruiser.
By this point in the Great War, with the Germans and Austrians bottled up in their respective harbors and the French in dire need of large bore artillery, numerous French cruisers and battlewagons gave up their less usable casemated 100mm, 138mm, and 165mm guns for emplacement ashore, served by naval gunners who gave up worrying about U-boats and mines for the joys of a nice, soggy berth in a bunker somewhere on the line.
A camouflaged canon de 138/55 Modèle 1910 naval gun at La Raperie near Terny-Sorny (Aisne) during World War I. This photograph is part of the Fonds Raoul Berthelé, preserved by the city archives of Toulouse.
Another camouflaged canon de 138 mm Modèle 1910 naval gun near Vacherauville, France, 1915. This photograph is part of the Fonds Raoul Berthelé, preserved by the city archives of Toulouse.
Of note, the future Admiral François Darlan of Vichy infamy served as a young lieutenant de vaisseau marine gunnery officer in Salonika at about this time.
Lots of news, some sad, about America’s final cruiser class.
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) returned to her homeport at San Diego on 27 June, following 11-months of sustained operations at sea in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations.
Yup, 11 months in SOUTHCOM. That’s a lot of low-intensity ops.
NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO (June 27, 2026) – The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) returns to its homeport of Naval Base San Diego following 11 months of sustained operations at sea in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations June 27, 2026.
Erie, with embarked USCG LEDET 107, successfully interdicted a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker, M/T Sophia, in addition to serving as “Integrated Air and Missile Defense Commander and the U.S. Air Force Southern Command’s (AFSOUTH) Regional Air Defense Commander (RADC)” during which she directed other assets to the interdiction of 2,900 pounds of narcotics.
In other news, USS Robert Smalls (CG-62), formerly USS Chancellorsville, has been active as the AAW commander for the Japan-based forward-deployed George Washington Strike Group during Ex Valiant Strike 26.
Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62) sails with the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group as part of Valiant Shield 2026 while underway in the Philippine Sea, June 21, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicolas Quezada)
USS Cape St. George (CG-71), which last year shifted her homeport from Everett, Washington to San Diego, recently got underway and got to stretch out her now-vintage MK 45 5″/54s. While there were over 160 such mounts delivered from 1972-92, once they were removed from the Tarawas, and then the Kidds/Sprucans and most of the Ticos were decommissioned, now less than 50 remain in the fleet with St. George and her sisters and the first 30 Burkes— 28 Flight I and II ships (hull numbers DDG-51 through DDG-78), as well as the first two Flight IIA ships (DDG-79 and DDG-80)
Now for the bad stuff.
The Pearl Harbor-based USS Shiloh (CG-67) is looking great.
USS Shiloh – CG-67 Pearl Harbor June 2026 by LT Farrar
She is getting ready for her going-away party.
Commissioned on 18 July 1992, she is set to be decommissioned in less than 100 days, wrapping up a 34-year career.
And in terrible news, the recently (August 2023) decommissioned USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) will be sunk as a target during RIMPAC 2026.
She served over 36 years and will only be the second of her class expended in a SINKEX, following ex-Valley Forge (CG 50), which was sent to the bottom in 2006.
SAN DIEGO (Aug.10, 2023) – The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) sits pier-side during a decommissioning ceremony. The Mobile Bay was decommissioned after more than 36 years of distinguished service. Commissioned Feb. 21, 1987, Mobile Bay served in the U.S. Atlantic, Seventh, and U.S. Pacific Fleet and supported Operation Desert Storm. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Stevin C. Atkins)
With Shiloh and Mobile Bay gone, the Navy will only have six active Ticos left of the 27-ship class (Princeton, Smalls, Gettysburg, Chosin, Lake Erie, and Cape St. George) and 15 laid up (Bunker Hill, Antietam, Leyte Gulf, San Jacinto, Lake Champlain, Philippine Sea, Normandy, Monterey, Cowpens, Hue City, Anzio, Vicksburg, Vella Gulf, Port Royal, and, of course, Shiloh) with all of the latter only sent there since 2022.
The current plan is to decommission the last three CGs in 2029, so you can expect more cruiser SINKEXs in the coming years.
One of the most aggressively American images I have seen in a long time.
It is beautiful.
Official caption: “U.S. National Guardsmen join service members from Croatia and nine other countries for Combat Power in Slunj, Croatia, June 27, 2026. The exercise was designed to bring partners together to conduct joint operations in land, air and sea domains.”
U.S. Army Photo 260627-Z-DY230-9221 by Army Staff Sgt. Mahsima Alkamooneh
Of note, elements of the 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 136th Infantry Regiment, of the Minnesota Army National Guard, are currently in Croatia, showing how to sport around in the 62 refurbished M2A2 Bradley IFVs which were transferred to the country’s Army starting in late 2024 to modernize its forces. Minnesota and Croatia have been united through the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program for 30 years.
The 2-136 IN (CAB) is part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 34th “Red Bull” Infantry Division, and their motto is “REX MONTIS” or “King of the Hill,” which tracks.
While the Royal Danish Navy was tasked with policing and defending the far-flung colony of Iceland, and, generally, a station ship or patrol boat of some sort was on location since 1859, the locals knew the score.
Denmark was 1,300 miles away and, during the Great War, with the country sandwiched between the Brits and the Germans, only one ship could be spared from the neutrality patrol to police both Iceland and the Faeroes, the 730-ton cutter (Inspektionsskib) Islands Falk (Icelandic Falcon), a humble 13-knotter with a pair of 6-pounders and another pair of 3-pounders.
The Danish Navy’s Helsingør-built Inspektionsskib Islands Falk, all 183 feet of her. Completed in 1907 specifically for colonial service off Iceland, Greenland and the Faeroes, in 1928 she was replaced by the larger “fisheries cruiser” Fylla, the former sloop HMS Asphodel, and reassigned to metropolitan Denmark, where she was captured by the Germans in WWII.
After Iceland gained a measure of self-autonomy in December 1918, Falk (which fired the first 21-shot salute to the new country’s first official flag while tied up at Reykjavik) began spending more time in Greenland and the Faeroes.
Plans were already afoot to get something more local.
In conjunction with local Icelandic philanthropists and the Iceland Fishing Boat Association (Fiskifélag Íslands), the Björgunarfélag Vestmannaeyja, a volunteer uniformed search-and-rescue/salvage organization, was founded in August 1918 and later morphed into ICE-SAR, the national lifesaving organization.
The BV soon set about looking for a blue water vessel to use for local fisheries patrol and as an offshore rescue ship (Björgunarskipið). By August 1919, they had cobbled together enough money (292,385 kroner, mainly from donations and grants from the Icelandic parliament, the Althing) to purchase an aging 190-ton, 115-foot British-built (Edwards Bros) trawler, Thor, which the Danish Navy had used as a survey ship and patrol boat.
Thor in Danish service. She was a steam trawler, built in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1899 and used for oceanographic research in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Oceans between 1903-1914, then as a patrol boat for the Danish Navy during the Great War. Ukendt. Angivet “Efter J. Schmidt”. – Affotografering fra Wolff (1967): Danske ekspeditioner på verdenshavene
With her name retained but Icelandized (Þór) and flying an early Icelandic pennant, she was eventually armed with two surplus M/96 57mm guns obtained from the Danes.
Her crew was volunteers from the BV, with Jóhann P. Jónsson, who had been a wartime officer in the Danish navy, appointed captain.
By late March 1920, Thor was underway and protecting local herring and cod grounds, chasing off her first foreign vessel, a British trawler, two days into her inaugural patrol.
Rescue ship/patrol boat Thor (Þór) in her time with the Björgunarfélag Vestmannaeyja,
She was effective, venturing out for the annual three-month winter season then spending the rest of the year working as a coaster, hauling passengers, goods, and mail around the island in an attempt to offset her costs.
In 1922, she captured 12 Norwegian ships for illegal fishing, to which the local government duly issued fines.
In 1924, she took eight foreign trawlers and a herring ship.
In 1925, two Norwegian herring ships, four Danish draggers, and 10 British trawlers.
Slowly, the Althing was forced to vote for more and more money for Thor, as even a shoestring operation needed, well, shoestrings. By 1926, a resolution was passed to purchase Thor for the token fee of 80,000 kroner, and put her to work in a more official capacity.
Thor’s service led to the formation of a dedicated local force, the Landhelgisgæslan, or Coast Guard, on 1 July 1926. That year, with a crew of her first “regulars,” Thor took 26 illegal fishing boats and raked in 270,000 kroner for the budding country’s coffers.
Thor, between 1926 and 1929, as the first Icelandic cutter. Note her deck guns
Between 1922 and 1926, Thor took a total of 131 ships in territorial waters and was responsible for fines of one million kroner. She searched for lost boats 80 times during this period and towed 40 ships to shore. She also transported passengers, goods, and mail on 73 coastal trips.
While Thor was wrecked in 1929, by that time the LHG had two other purpose-built cutters in operation, the smaller Odin (70-foot, 240hp diesel, one 47mm gun) and the larger Aegir (170-foot, with a 1,800shp diesel and two 75mm guns).
Further, the service has had three different Thors since then, with the current one being the LHG’s flagship.
The second LHG Thor. Built in Stettin, Germany, in 1922 as Senator Schäfer. Arrived in Iceland in 1930 and served with the Coast Guard until 1939. Note the national flash on her bow.
The third Coast Guard ship to bear the name, this Thor was purpose-built for the LHG in 1951, was the flagship of the fleet, and served in all three Cod Wars. She was sold in 1982
The current Icelandic Coast Guard UT 512L-type offshore patrol vessel ICGV Thor (Þór), walking the beat. Note her 40mm Bofors forward. Delivered in 2009, she runs 4,000 tons and is 307 feet in oal.
A great 3~ minute sizzle reel showing some of the LHG’s greatest hits:
Exercise Valiant Shield 2026 (VS26) concluded on 1 July, stretching across the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Japan, and at sea around the Mariana Islands Range Complex.
It was an impressive assemblage of vessels, built around the GW and Kaga carrier groups with support from other Pacific allies.
Think of it as a warm-up for RIMPAC, which is just warming up.
U.S. Navy aircraft, attached to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, and U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs fly over U.S. Navy George Washington Carrier Strike Group as it sails in formation with Japan Maritime Self- Defense Force as part of Valiant Shield 2026 while underway in the Philippine Sea, June 21, 2026. U.S. Navy participants include Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Shoup (DDG 86) and USS Benfold (DDG 65), and Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN 783). Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force participants include JS Kaga (DDH 184), JS Fuyuzuki (DD 118), and JS Jingei (SS 515). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tyler Crowley)
The big culmination of VS26 was a SINKEX of a large combatant some 200nm from Guam, in this case the retired Austin-class ‘phib ex-USS Juneau (LPD-10), which had a storied career over nearly 40 years from Vietnam to Desert Storm and has been on red lead row since 2008.
The old girl took one hell of a beating. One that the Navy, probably in some advertising to China, isn’t afraid to share.
First up was a Guam-deployed B-2 Spirit bomber hitting her with a 2,700-pound LRASM in an ode to Billy Mitchell. While the effect isn’t seen in real time, its half-ton warhead left the 17,000-ton LPD listing and with a flooded well deck.
A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing, deploys an AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) to support a live-fire sinking exercise as part of Valiant Shield 2026 over the Philippine Sea, June 27, 2026. This maritime strike in the Pacific showcased the Joint Force’s capacity for simultaneous global operations while underscoring U.S. commitment to regional security and cooperation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Thomas Barley)
Juneau then caught two Australian-owned AGM-84 Harpoons from an RNZAF P-8A Poseidon of No. 5 Squadron, with the Kiwis assisted by an RAAF Poseidon and two from the U.S. Navy.
This is the first time an RNZAF Poseidon has taken part in Valiant Shield, which started in 2006 and is in its 11th iteration this year, and the first time they have used anti-ship ordnance, which were loaded at Anderson AFB in Guam.
She also suffered from ordnance delivered by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force SH-60 maritime helicopter and Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2 multirole fighter aircraft.
Then came the coup de grace delivered by an unnamed Japanese submarine (likely JS Jingei, SS 515). A bit of a tragic twist of fate when you consider the loss of a previous USS Juneau (CL-52), which was lost to a Japanese submarine in 1942 and carried almost all of her crew, including the five Sullivan brothers, to the bottom.
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine fires a torpedo at the decommissioned USS Juneau in support of a live-fire sinking exercise (SINKEX) as part of Valiant Shield 2026 while underway in the Philippine Sea, June 27, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Anthony Vilardi)
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine fires a torpedo at the decommissioned USS Juneau in support of a live-fire sinking exercise (SINKEX) as part of Valiant Shield 2026 while underway in the Philippine Sea, June 27, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Anthony Vilardi)
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine fires a torpedo at the decommissioned USS Juneau in support of a live-fire sinking exercise (SINKEX) as part of Valiant Shield 2026 while underway in the Philippine Sea, June 27, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Anthony Vilardi)
The Jolly J now lies with the fishes. A hard-earned rest.
Alabama-based Kimber went double-stack 1911 in 2024 after at least a 30-year run in the field of making single-stacks. We have reviewed a couple of these excellent pistols since then and are past the 3K round mark on our original test gun with zero (0) hiccups to report, leaving us feeling good headed into the new Comp series.
Released in January at the SHOT Show in either stainless (SST) or black in both 5-inch full-sized (Government) and 4.25-inch Pro (Commander) sizes, with flush-fit 20- and 19-round magazines, respectively, as the name would imply, the Comp models all sport a compensated barrel and slide.
The 4.25 model has an overall length of 7.79 inches. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Weight is 33.4 ounces, even with a full-length rail on the frame’s dustcover.
This gun was a dream to shoot on the range. Full stop.
We ran a bit over 1,000 rounds through it and should probably talk about how we ran them. Coming after our trouble-free 3,000-round review of the full-length 2K11, we had a feeling the 2K11 Pro Comp would be able to comfortably digest just about any commercial load we could throw at it.
So that’s what we did.
A typical range box for our Pro Comp field trip:
Note the mix of rounds. About the only thing that unites them is that they are factory 9×19 Luger/Para loads. We’ve got some Speer, Hornady, and Federal JHP in there, Federal Syntech in a few different loads (the colorful rounds), Remington bulk pack 115 FMJs, CCI Blazer Brass 115s, some Winchester 124 NATO loads, et. al. We would typically try to mix up the rounds in each magazine to include everything from 115s to 150s from numerous loads. No issues.
If you prioritize a gun that looks great, shoots better than it looks, and gives you minimal heartburn while still being carryable in a pinch, the Kimber 2K11 Pro Comp is a “cry once, buy once” option.
It ran so well on the range and felt good in the hand that finding things to complain about is a chore.
Holsters for double-stack 1911-style railguns with a commander-length slide are a bit tough to find. The nose of the 2K11 Pro makes it even harder. Luckily, Kimber has gone the extra mile and stocks a variety of 2K11-specific OWB and competition holsters on their site from Blackpoint, Ghost Hydra, and Red Hill Tactical. Still, we’d love to see folks like Galco, DeSantis, Falco, Philster, Safariland, and Tenicor cranking them out as well, especially in an IWB format because this shorter 2K11 could make a great carry gun, giving the Staccato CS or HD C4X some serious competition.
Other than that, about the only sticking points that got under our skin were the fact that you had to leave the excellent rear sight at home when you opt for a red/green dot. Further, the mag release and safety lever were stiff right out of the box but wore in over time.
Some 50 years ago today. A full half-century, “an old ship with a young crew” calls at a lost colony, “all’s forgiven.”
The pride of the Royal Navy, the Audacious-class aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (R09)entering Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 30 June 1976, with the crew eager to commemorate the Bicentennial of the United States. The historic ship’s visit and life aboard were featured in the popular 1976 BBC documentary series “Sailor.”
Arrayed aboard are FG.1 Phantoms of 892 NAS, Buccaneers of 809 NAS, Gannets of 849B NAS, Sea Kings of 824 NAS. A Wessex SAR from the Ships Flight is also on deck.
Shipping back to Plymouth, her Bicentennial deployment logged some 37,850nm and became the cover of her crew book.
All would be gone just three years later when Ark Royal decommissioned, the last full-sized British carrier to “cat and trap” conventional aircraft.
The 13th U.S. Cavalry Regiment is seen returning to garrison from its last march as a horse cavalry outfit before shipping off their mounts, trading horse shoes and oats for tires and tracks. The regiment’s colonel at the time was Charles “Lutie” Lewis Scott (USMA 1905), a noted horseman, prominent in the Cavalry Branch as a across an array of organized horse shows, polo matches, fox hunting, and endurance races.
Note, they are outfitted in marching order, complete with gun belts and M1911s. U.S. Signal Corps Photo 111-SC-108064, National Archives Identifier 523751061
The 13th Cavalry Regiment was first constituted on Groundhog’s Day 1901 with its first unit, Troop K, standing up at Fort Meade, South Dakota, on 26 July of the same year.
Spending much of its early years in the Philippines on counter-insurgency operations, the 13th Horse then shifted gears to police the border with Mexico from 1911 through 1916, which included pursuing Mexican outlaw Pascual Orozco.
With about 350 men (four Troops and the MG Troop) already stationed at “Cavalry Camp” in Columbus, New Mexico, they were on hand to repulse Pancho Villa’s raid on the border town that left the unit with 14 casualties versus 100~ suffered by the Villaristas in a 90-minute firefight, which led to Blackjack Pershing’s Punitive Expedition to chase old Panch into the Chihuahua desert.
Mexican Punitive Expedition, 13th Cavalry marching out of El Valle, 1916 111-SC-93333
Retiring from the border in 1921 after missing out on going “Over There,” with the rest of the Doughboys to France in the Great War, the horse soldiers helped film several early western movies, including “The Pony Express” in 1925 and “His First Command” in 1929.
They also notably conducted a 625-mile march from Fort D.A. Russell (now Francis E. Warren AFB, west of Cheyanne, Wyoming) to Fort Riley in good order over 30 days, carrying all their own supplies and bivouacking in the field long before there were interstates and rest stops.
13th Cavalry marched 625 miles to Fort Riley, Summer 1927 111-SC-91997
The regulars of the 13th started to receive their first trucks and motorcycles in 1927, in the slow decade-long transition to becoming a mechanized unit.
Leaving Ft Riley, they were assigned to the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mechanized) at Fort Knox and began to receive the brand-new M1 Combat Car in 1937.
13th Cavalry M1 Combat Car operating cross-country. Fort Knox, Kentucky. August 1938 111-SC-108927
Thompson submachine gun mounted on a Harley flathead motorcycle of the HHC Troop, 13th Cavalry Regiment, August 1938, at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Note the early round “Old Ironsides” sleeve patch and the riding boots. 111-SC-108934
By 1940, re-badged as the 13th Armored Regiment (Light), they had an allowance for 82 M3 Scout Cars and 136 M3 Stuart Light Tanks, tasked with armored recon, and would soon be receiving M3 (Lee) medium tanks.
Shipping out with the “Old Ironsides” of the 1st Armored Division, the 13th landed in North Africa for Torch in November 1942, went on to lock horns and learn from the Afrika Korps the hard way in Tunisia. They saw their first major combat since 1916 at the Battle of Kasserine Pass, which was one tough proving ground for American armor.
M3 medium tank crew from Company F, 13th Armored Regiment, displays assorted 75mm ammunition. North Africa, 1942-43. Rounds from left to right are 75mm APCBC-HE-Ta shell M61, 75mm AP-T shot M72, and 75mm HE shell M48. Signal Corps 167328 via NARA.
The unit then traded its M3 Stuarts for M5s and M3 Lees for M4 Shermans to land in Europe for the invasion of Italy in November 1943. They pushed all the way up the Italian “boot,” ending the war nearly at the Swiss border, and earned seven battle streamers: Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead), Tunisia, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, North Apennines, and Po Valley.
Then came occupation duty as the 13th Constabulary Squadron (which ironically included some horses), Cold War reorganization, activation, and inactivation until the 1st Battalion, 13th Armor (1-13 Armor), was stood back up on 16 February 1996 at Fort Riley, Kansas, and assigned once again to the 1st Armored Division. Of note, it had been nearly 60 years on the nose since the unit had hung up its horses at that very base to switch to tracks.
Since then, they have been overseas again to South Korea, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and today the only active Squadron, 2-13 Armor, is the armored recon unit for Old Ironsides’ 3rd Brigade, and is based at Fort Bliss. They ride Bradleys and Abrams.
Their motto is “It Shall Be Done,” and they are still nicknamed the 13th Horse.
While the Royal Navy has been increasingly in doldrums, its love/hate sister fleet across the Channel has been hard at work.
The French Navy celebrates its 400th anniversary this year, and you can tell they are going big.
Big Chuck
On 18 May, while deployed in the Indian Ocean, the sole French aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle (R91) celebrated 25 years of entering active service.
How it started:
Since 2001, she has been holding down deployments around the world in Operations Heracles, Agapanthe, Harmattan, Arromanches, Clemenceau 19/21/22/25, etc., and has traveled in excess of 865,000 nautical miles, and logged more than 60,000 catapult traps.
She had sailed from Toulon in late January for the multinational ORION 26 exercise in the Baltic, then had been shifted to a more war-adjacent deployment to the Eastern Mediterranean and now the Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea.
While scheduled for long-term maintenance for July 2026, this could very well be bumped.
Le vendredi 15 mai, sur le pont d’envol du porte-avions Charles De Gaulle, lors du catapultage d’un E2C Hawkeye ainsi que plusieurs Rafale marine. Le porte-avions Charles de Gaulle et ses escorteurs ont franchi le canal de Suez le 6 mai 2026, sur ordre du Président de la République, afin de rapprocher le groupe aéronaval de la zone du détroit d’Ormuz.
Le samedi 13 juin, sur le pont d’envol du porte-avions Charles De Gaulle, lors du catapultage d’un E2C Hawkeye ainsi que plusieurs Rafale marine. Le porte-avions Charles de Gaulle et ses escorteurs ont franchi le canal de Suez le 6 mai 2026, sur ordre du Président de la République, afin de rapprocher le groupe aéronaval de la zone du détroit d’Ormuz.
Le samedi 13 juin, sur le pont d’envol du porte-avions Charles de Gaulle, lors du catapultage d’un E2C Hawkeye ainsi que de plusieurs Rafales marines. Le porte-avions Charles de Gaulle et ses escorteurs ont franchi le canal de Suez le 6 mai 2026, sur ordre du Président de la République, afin de rapprocher le groupe aéronaval de la zone du détroit d’Ormuz.
At least three French frigates, the replenishment ship Jacques Chevallier, and an SSN have deployed with CdG. Several allied frigates (Spanish, Dutch, and even a Brit, HMS Dragon) have tagged along as well.
Meanwhile, two Mistral-class LHDs and five other frigates are active in the Eastern Med and Red Sea, performing tanker and container ship escorts among assorted taskings under the EU’s Operation Aspides.
On June 10, a French FREMM-class multi-mission frigate escorted the largest container ship sailing under the French flag, the 24,212 TEU CMA CGM Notre Dame, through the Bab el Mandeb Strait as part of the Aspides mission.
The two ships are carrying 160 officer cadets on their summer cruise, a detachment from the 34F Flotilla equipped with an AS565 Panther helicopter, a 36F Flotilla detachment with S-100 Camcopter drones, and a group of 3e RIMa Marines to rotate out the 400 deployed members of the Guadeloupe-based 33rd RIMa.
Also present on board the Fourth Air Combat Brigade (4e BAM) with two NH90 Caiman helicopters and two Gazelles from the 3rd Combat Helicopter Regiment (3e RHC). Also carried are Flexrotor UAVs and a Sirehna unmanned surface vessel.
Le 03 mars 2026, lors du passage du détroit de Bab El-Manded, un poste aviation a lieu pour effectuer de la surveillance maritime. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditerranée orientale, mer Rouge, ainsi qu’à travers l’océan Indien, dans le cadre de la mission « Jeanne d’Arc
Le 03 mars 2026, lors du passage du détroit de Bab El-Manded, un poste aviation a lieu pour effectuer de la surveillance maritime. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditerranée orientale, mer Rouge, ainsi qu’à travers l’océan Indien, dans le cadre de la mission « Jeanne d’Arc
They first sortied to the Indo-Pacific, where they took part in Balkatan 26, Papangue 26, and La Perouse 26, then doubled back to the Americas for Operation Atlantia, conducting port calls and exercises all the way, making sure to stop by every French colony within striking distance to show the flag.
This has included taking part in Caraibes 2026 with Barbados, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago, and Marambaïa 26 with Brazil.
Dixmude at Guadelupe
FS Dixmude (L9015) and FFH Aconit (F713) arrived in Halifax on May 29
What a recruiting poster! Dixmude at Guadelupe, with her 160 embarked naval cadets, no doubt loving life
Mistral-class amphibious assault ship FNS DIXMUDE docked at Cape Town harbour
FS Dixmude (L9015) i FS Aconit (713) widać FS Confiance (P733) off Guyana
Le PHA Dixmude en Atlantique Nord, lors d’un phénomène météorologique créant des nuages en surface, le 28 mai 2026. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditérannée orientale, mer Rouge, ainsi qu’à travers l’océan Atlantique, dans le cadre de la mission “Jeanne d’Arc
FS Dixmude (L9015) in Mombasa
This has seen her embarked marines hold and seize beaches from St. Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Canada to Brazil, Guadeloupe, and the Philippines.
Forces armées aux Antilles, French Op Caribes, Dixmude’s landing craft and 33 RIM marines
Un EDAR s’apprête à débarquer des véhicules du GTE, à Marie Galante, le 17 mai. Du 17 au 21 mai 2026, le Groupement Tactique Embarqué participe à la première phase de l’exercice Caraïbes 26, qui les opposent à des membres du 33e RIMA, entre Marie Galante et Basse-Terre. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditérannée orientale
Débarquement par EDA-S des soldats du 3e RIMA à Basse-Terre pour un exercice de prise de fort, le 19 mai. Du 17 au 21 mai 2026, le Groupement Tactique Embarqué participe à la première phase de l’exercice Caraïbes 26, qui les opposent à des membres du 33e RIMA, entre Marie Galante et Basse-Terre. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditérannée orientale, m
Un EDA-S s’apprête à débarquer des véhicules du GTE à Marie-Galante, le 17 mai. Du 17 au 21 mai 2026, le Groupement Tactique Embarqué participe à la première phase de l’exercice Caraïbes 26, qui les opposent à des membres du 33e RIMA, entre Marie Galante et Basse-Terre. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditérannée
Un VBL de la section PEI en progression dans les pistes de Marie Galante, en recherche de la FORAD, le 17 mai. Du 17 au 21 mai 2026, le Groupement Tactique Embarqué participe à la première phase de l’exercice Caraïbes 26, qui les opposent à des membres du 33e RIMA, entre Marie Galante et Basse-Terre. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditérannée orientale
Assaut de l’entrée du fort par une section de soldats brésiliens, dirigées par deux sous-officiers français, à Basse Terre le 19 mai, lors d’un exercice de prise de fort. Du 17 au 21 mai 2026, le Groupement Tactique Embarqué participe à la première phase de l’exercice Caraïbes 26, qui les opposent à des membres du 33e RIMA, entre Marie Galante et Basse-Terre.
Un EDAR du Dixmude rejoint la plage pour le rembarquement des troupes à l’issue de l’exercice, sous la surveillance d’une soldat française, posté à l’entrée du fort Delgrès, à Basse Terre le 19 mai. Du 17 au 21 mai 2026, le Groupement Tactique Embarqué participe à la première phase de l’exercice Caraïbes 26, qui les opposent à des membres du 33e RIMA, entre Marie Galante et Basse-Terre.
Entrainement du groupement tactique embarqué à terre, comportant une désignation de cible pour frappes aéroportées, et simulation d’évacuation médicale par hélicoptère, sur l’ile de Miquelon, le 06 juin 2026.
Le 6 mars 2026, pendant l’opération ATALANTA, les 2 EDA-S à bord du PHA Tonnerre réalisent un déradiage simultanée, avec une mer défavorable.
Le 06 juin 2026, Le groupe Jeanne d’Arc 2026 arrive en escale à St Pierre et Miquelon. C’est l’occasion pour le PHA Dixmude et l’Aconit de réaliser différentes cérémonies auprès de la population, dépose de gerbes, cérémonie du 06 juin et cérémonie des 400 ans.
They just wrapped up exercises with the U.S. Marines and Navy off Little Creek, which included cross-decking an MV-22 and an LCAC, and is due back in France for Bastille Day.
Dixmude with an American V-22 on her deck while working out with U.S. Marines off the Virginia Capes last week
Stosskopf
Intermittently, Dixmude and Aconit have teamed up with the brand new 31,000-ton replenishment ship BRF Jacques Stosskopf, which was recently commissioned and just completed a 155-day, 38,000nm independent cruise that included trialing the new H160M Guépard helicopter and conducting 40 replenishments at sea.
Jacques Stosskopf sailing between the frigate Aconit and the amphibious assault ship Dixmude
Jacques Stosskopf sailing between the frigate Aconit and the amphibious assault ship Dixmude
Jacques Stosskopf sailing between the frigate Aconit and the amphibious assault ship Dixmude a
She has also teamed up with other French and allied assets around the hemisphere.
Jacques Stosskopf Dutch De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate Zr. Ms. De Ruyter (F804) and the British Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless (D33) during ORION 26 in February.
Shadow Fleet Grief
French naval commandos seized another oil tanker from Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” in the Mediterranean Sea near Sicily this week. Flying the Cameroonian flag, the MT Deliver was sailing from Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk and boarded on Tuesday after allegedly violating maritime law.
Deliver was the fifth tanker seized by France since it launched an enforcement campaign against Russia’s shadow fleet last September in what Moscow calls “another act of piracy.”
In late May, French authorities, with British help, detained the Tagor in the Atlantic on suspicion of flying a false flag and arrested her Russian master.
In January, French forces impounded another suspected Russian tanker, the Grinch, and in March, the Deyna, sailing from Murmansk under a Mozambican flag, was detained in Marseille.
Last September, the French navy boarded the Boracay, which claimed to be flagged in Benin.
Roaming paradise
The new 262-foot/1,300 ton Félix Éboué class patrouilleur outre-mer (overseas patrol boat) Jean Tranape (P782) just made it to her first homeport, the French colonial capital of Noumea in New Caledonia.
She did so after a nearly three-month unescorted sortie that saw her leave Brest in April, cruise across the Atlantic to the colony of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, visit Halifax, the Bahamas, and cross through the Panama Canal before participating in Exercise Marara with her sister Teriieroo a Teriierooiterai (P780) in French Polynesia.
The new patrol boat, armed with a 30mm Nexter Narwal autocannon, two .50 cals, two FN MAGs, and Aliaca UAVs, has a crew of 30 but can accommodate a platoon of marines if needed.
Jean Tranape joins her sister, Auguste Bénébig (P779), in Nouméa and is one of six POMs ordered to replace the much smaller (179-foot/400-ton) P400 class OPVs formerly used for the task.
Sister POMs Jean Tranape (P782) and Auguste Bénébig (P779) are French patrol boats at Noumea in New Caledonia
Tall ship fever
Meanwhile, the French Navy’s windjammer, the 123-foot, two-masted schooner Belle Poule, is actively participating in the Sail 250 flotilla and is set to sail into Baltimore this week.
From there, she will continue on to port calls in New York and Boston for the 4th.
The RAF had a new kid on the block, some 86 years ago this week– just in time for the Battle of Britain.
While the original Hawker Hurricane entered service in 1937, the more advanced Mk.IIA prototype was a “war baby” and first flew on 11 June 1940, with squadron production beginning in September 1940.
Note these are early Mk.IIAs with the then-experimental quad 20mm cannon fits, two in each wing. (NARA 44266494)
The main difference between the type and the original Mk.I series was that it was stretched 4.5 inches to accommodate a larger (1,260hp) liquid-cooled Merlin XX V-12 piston engine with a two-speed supercharger instead of the 1,030hp Rolls-Royce Merlin Mk II/III. While the difference in speed was negligible (only about 20mph more), the longer fuselage shifted the center of gravity and made it more stable. Further, its heavier “universal wing” allowed a more robust armament fit, including 20mm (and later even 40mm) cannons.
Hawker built 418 Mk.IIAs, while the Gloster Aircraft Company delivered 33.
Subsequent Mk.II sub-variants (such as IIB, IIC, and IID) were delivered through 1944, with the chief differences being in armament to include so-called “Hurribomber” variants. In all, 4,710 assorted MK IIs were produced, about a third of the Hurricane’s total run of 14,583.
In fact, the last Hawker-built Hurricane was a Mark II variant. Shortly after its first flight on 22 July 1944, it was dubbed “The Last of the Many” in a call back to Churchill’s “Never was so much owed by so many to so few” remarks from the Battle of Britain.
The last Hurricane built by the Hawker Aircraft Company, Mark IIC, PZ865 “The Last of the Many” was decorated with banners and pennants on its completion at Langley, Berkshire. PZ865 was bought off the original Ministry of Aircraft Production contract by Hawkers and was retained as a communications and test aircraft. It continues to fly with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. IWM (CH 13673)
While the last Mk.II Hurricane was retired from squadron service in 1951 (at the time with Portugal), they have proved luckier than their sisters in old age. Of the 50 or so preserved Hurricanes, more than half (27) are Mk.IIs, including at least three that are still airworthy– including The Last of the Many.
