Ukrainian Warships Paid a Short Visit To Istanbul

10 Mar 2016

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Hetman Sahaidachny (left), TCG Salihreis (middle) Balta (right) in Istanbul.

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TCG Salihreis (left) and Hetman Sahaidachny (right) in Istanbul. Photo: Deniz Yaman.

Ukrainian warships Hetman Sahaidachny and Balta made a short port visit to Istanbul today.

Both ships passed through Istanbul Strait on 7th March 2016 and sailed to main Turkish Navy base in Gölcük, Kocaeli. There the ships have conducted joint exercises with Turkish warships.

The frigate Hetman Sahaidachny and the degaussing ship Balta arrived on the morning of 10th March 2016 accompanied by Turkish frigate TCG Salihreis to Istanbul. Balta left for Ukraine in a few hours later whereas the frigate stayed longer. The Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko who is in Turkey for an official visit, visited the frigate.

President Petro Poroshenko visited flagship of the Ukrainian Naval Forces Hetman Sahaidachny frigate that takes part in the common training with the Naval Forces of Turkey in the Sea of Marmara.
Commander of the sea campaign Dmytro Hlukhov and commander of the frigate Denys Ivanin demonstrated the equipment and mobile military hospital provided by the Turkish side.
Ukraine will receive 5 such hospitals. They will be relocated to the sectors of responsibility in the ATO area after the return of Hetman Sahaidachny frigate to Ukraine.
The President emphasized that such mobile hospitals were essentially important in the ATO area. He called them the evidence of partnership relations between the two states. “Earlier, we received them from the United States, Canada and Australia. It emphasizes strategic character of our relations,” the Head of State noted.

Later in the afternoon, Hetman Sahaidachny departed with two containers on her flight deck to Ukraine.

Filed under Port Visit, Sighting Tagged with , , , , , ,

Sea Breeze 2015 Naval Exercise Concludes In Ukraine

12 Sep 2015

TCG Bozcaada arriving ODeesa for Sea Breeze 2015 exercise.

TCG Bozcaada arriving Odessa for Sea Breeze 2015 exercise. Photo: Igor More.

The Ukrainian led exercise Sea Breeze 2015 finished today. The exercise had stared on 31 August 2015 and had a land and a sea phase.

Warships from Romania, Turkey, USA and Ukraine has participated to the sea phase of the exercise. The exercise was attended by 2,5 thousand military personnel not only from the United States and Ukraine, but also from Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy, the UK, Romania, Sweden, Turkey and Moldova. According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the purpose of the exercise is to develop of a multinational security operations in crisis region.

This is the list of the participating ships. The number of the ships was vague. Some publications cited 19 ships other 14 ships. Some even wrote that there would be submarines. But since Turkish Navy did not deployed a submarine to this exercise the anti submarine warfare training had to be done by a simulator.

Number Name Type Nationality
111 Mărăşeşti Frigate Romania
264 ROS Cam. Eustaţiu Sebastian Corvette Romania
F-500 TCG Bozcaada Corvette Turkey
U-130 Hetman Sahaidachny Frigate Ukraine
U-153 Priluki Missile boat Ukraine
U-360 Genichesk Mine sweeper Ukraine
U-401 Kirovgrad Landing ship Ukraine
BG-109 BG-109 Patrol boat Ukraine
U-120 Skadovsk Patrol boat Ukraine
U-705 Kremenets Tug Ukraine
BG-63 Pavel Derzhavin Patrol boat Ukraine
BG-50 Grigory Kuropiatnikov Patrol boat Ukraine
75 Donald Cook Destroyer USA

Filed under Black Sea Tagged with , , , ,

Multinational Maritime Security Center of Excellence Trains Ukrainian Sailors

23 Jun 2015

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The group photo of the Ukrainian and Turkish participants on board of frigate Hetman Sahaidachny. Photo: Turkish Navy.

The mobile training team of the Multinational Maritime Security Center of Excellence (MARSEC COE) trained the vessel boarding and inspection team of Ukrainian frigate Hetman Sahaidachny.

The training was held between 15 and 18 June 2015, in Odessa Naval Base and on board of the frigate Hetman Sahaidachny.

The MARSEC COE is based in Aksaz Naval Base, in Marmaris Turkey, with the mission to support UN, NATO, partner countries and maritime security stakeholders by providing subject matter expertise on comprehensive approach with all levels and aspects of maritime security. Turkey provides 64 percent of the manning.

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Sea Breeze 2014 Naval Exercise Starts Next Week (UPDATED)

8 Sep 2014 3 Comments

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F-512 TCG Büyükada heading to the Black Sea to take part in Sea Breeze 2014 exercise on 7 September 2014. Photo: Yörük Işık. Used with permisson.

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F-512 TCG Büyükada heading to the Black Sea to take part in Sea Breeze 2014 exercise on 7 September 2014. Photo: Yörük Işık. Used with permisson.

Despite my previous reporting and expectations the Turkish frigate TCG Oruçreis is not going to take part in the exercise Sea Breeze. Her deployment to the Black Sea must a regular one with national interests at heart.

The Milgem class corvette F-512 TCG Büyükada is going participate in the Sea Breeze according to the Turkish General Staff.

Click here to read about the previous Sea Breeze Exercises.

I have compiled the list of the ships that will take part in the exercise:

Number
Name
Country
Type
F-512
TCG Büyükada
 Turkey
Corvette
F-102 ESPS Almirante Juan De Borbon  Spain Frigate
F-333 HMCS Toronto Canada Frigate
DDG-71 USS Ross USA Destroyer
P-24 Sukhumi Georgia Patrol Boat
F-221 ROS Regele Ferdinand Romania Frigate
F-796 Commandant Birot France Frigate

Filed under Black Sea Tagged with , , , ,

Sea Breeze 2014 Naval Exercise Starts Next Week

6 Sep 2014 2 Comments

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Turkish Barbaros class frigate F-245 TCG Oruçreis heading to the Black Sea on 4 September 2014. She is obviously going to take part in the Sea Breeze 2014 exercise. Photo: Yörük Işık. Used with permission.

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Note that TCG Oruçreis is carrying full Harpoon load. This is not a common sight. Photo: Yörük Işık. Used with permission.

The Ukrainian led naval exercise Sea Breeze 2014 will start on 8 September 2014, according to a statement made by U.S. European Command.

Exercise Sea Breeze 2014, a multinational maritime exercise in the Black Sea, is set to start Sept. 8, as representatives from five participating nations and Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO Task Unit 02 (SNMG2 TU.02) will gather at sea aboard USS Ross (DDG 71) for the exercise’s opening ceremony.

Approximately 280 U.S. service members will participate in the event.

The exercise is scheduled to take place Sept. 8-10, with naval forces from participating countries working together in order to strengthen interoperability and improve maritime security.

Leaders from Ukraine and the U.S., co-hosts for the 13th iteration of the exercise, share sentiments about the progress of both the exercise and maritime security in the Black Sea that have occurred since the exercise’s inception.

Much of the exercise will focus on maritime interdiction operations as a primary means to enhance maritime security. The other key components of the exercise focus on communications, search and rescue, force protection and navigation.

This year’s participants include Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, Turkey, and the U.S., as well as three ships from Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO Task Unit 02 (SNMG2 TU.02): Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS Toronto (FFH 333); Spanish frigate ESPS Almirante Juan De Borbon; and Romanian frigate ROS Regele Ferdinand.

Click here to read about the previous Sea Breeze Exercises.

I have compiled the list of the ships that will take part in the exercise:

Number
Name
Country
Type
F-245
TCG Oruçreis
 Turkey
Frigate
F-102 ESPS Almirante Juan De Borbon  Spain Frigate
F-333 HMCS Toronto Canada Frigate
DDG-71 USS Ross USA Destroyer
P-24 Sukhumi Georgia Patrol Boat
F-221 ROS Regele Ferdinand Romania Frigate
F-796 Commandant Birot France Frigate

Filed under Black Sea Tagged with , , , ,

USS Donald Cook Passed Through Turkish Straits

11 Apr 2014 1 Comment

Today the long-awaited US warship, Arleigh Burke class destroyer DDG-75 USS Donald Cook passed through Turkish Straits.

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Arleigh Burke class (Flight II) class destroyer DDG-75 USS Donald Cook passing through Bosphorus. Photo: Kerim Bozkurt. Used with permission.

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Arleigh Burke class (Flight II) class destroyer DDG-75 USS Donald Cook passing through Bosphorus. Photo: Kerim Bozkurt. Used with permission.

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Arleigh Burke class (Flight II) class destroyer DDG-75 USS Donald Cook passing through Bosphorus. Photo: Kerim Bozkurt. Used with permission.

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Arleigh Burke class (Flight II) class destroyer DDG-75 USS Donald Cook passing through Bosphorus. Photo: Kerim Bozkurt. Used with permission.

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Arleigh Burke class (Flight II) class destroyer DDG-75 USS Donald Cook passing through Bosphorus. Photo: Yörük Işık. Used with permission.

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Arleigh Burke class (Flight II) class destroyer DDG-75 USS Donald Cook passing through Bosphorus. Photo: Yörük Işık. Used with permission.

She has entered to the Dardanelles at 07.00 in the morning and passed through Bosphorus at 16.00.

She is the second warship USA has send to the Black Sea since the start of the Crimean crisis. The other ship was DDG-103 USS Truxtun.

The Russian Foreign Ministry is fuming against Turkey over the practice of the Montreux Convention. But I remember very well back in 2008 they were praising Turkey over the practice of Montreux Convention when due to technical limitations US Navy hospital ships were not allowed to pass through Turkish Straits.

The arrival of a new US Navy warship to the Black Sea will not make things easier and she is not only non-Black Sea Navy ship in the region. The French warship FS Alizé is  believed still to be in the Black Sea and today the French ELINT/SIGINT ship FS Dupuy de Lôme also passed through the Bosphorus.

And there are still 7 frigates, 1 corvette, 2 submarines, 8 fast attack craft, 1 mine hunter, 3 auxiliaries of Turkish Navy in the Black Sea. These units have not returned from the Deniz Yıldızı 2014 exercise yet.

Filed under Bosphorus Tagged with , , , ,

Brazilian Frigate In Ukraine

27 Jul 2013

The Brazilian frigate F-42 Constituição, in Sevastopol. Photo: Ukrainian Marine Portal.

While I was able to take photo of many warships in the last couple of days, the maritime traffic on Bosphorus is so large, I have missed one.

On 24 July the Niteroi class Brazilian frigate F-42 Constituição passed through the Bosphorus and arrived in Sevastopol, Ukraine for an official visit. She will stay in Ukraine till 29 July 2013.

Today, July 25, went to Sevastopol frigate Navy of Brazil “Constitution”. The ship moored at berth passenger terminal of “Sevastopol Sea Commercial Port”. The frigate will stay in Sevastopol from 25 to 29 July in accordance with the list of activities of military cooperation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in June and July 2013.

In the national navy command protocol meeting with the commander of the campaign frigate “Constitution”, the commander of surface forces Navy Rear Admiral FBI Rezhynaldo Antonio Lima Pontes Junior, as well as coordinator of the program on the modernization of the Navy Rear Admiral FBI Petronio Augusta Sikuyra where Ahuyaar and commander of the frigate ” Constitution “Captain 2 rank Markos U.D.Abreyra spent Chief of Staff, First Deputy Commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine Rear Admiral Dmitry Shakur. The meeting was also attended by Ambassador of Brazil to Ukraine Mr. Antonio Fernando Cruz de Mello.

Rear Admiral Dmitry Shakur said that the arrival of the frigate “Constitution” in the port of Sevastopol is the first such visit and promote the expansion of contacts between Ukrainian and Brazilian sailors.

I hope I will be lucky when she passes back to the Mediterranean. This what I like about the Black Sea.

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The Brazilian frigate F-42 Constituição, in Sevastopol. Photo: Ukrainian Marine Portal.

Filed under Black Sea Tagged with , , ,

Sea Breeze 2013 Naval Exercise

8 Jul 2013 1 Comment

P-334 TCG Meltem.

P-334 TCG Meltem.

While the Breeze 2013 naval exercise has started in Bulgaria, Ukraine is hosting the Sea Breeze 2013 naval exercise. The choise of names and the timing makes it very easy to confuse the two exercises. The Sea Breeze 2013 starts today and will end on 20 July 2013.

Germany, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, Turkey, Canada, Italy and Bulgaria will take part in the exercise.

It is not a coincidence that the two exercise are running almost simultaneously as the non Black Sea participants of these exercises such as the Spanish Frigate F-103 Blas De Lezo and the Greek fast attack boat P-263 Aittios may only stay in the Black Sea for a limited amount of days. Therefore it was necessary to organize the two exercises near simultaneously.

For those who like to create conspiracy theories the simultaneous start of two naval exercise in The Black Sea might be seen as the NATO’s response to Russian actions in the Med.

In the first day of activity of the conference around 70 military officers from countries-members worked out issues of planning forces during the training and started planning operation. In particular, it was determined that from Ukrainian side divisions and subdivisions of all groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will take part in the exercise. In general, it will be exercised in See Breeze-2013 interaction of over 20 ships and vessels, around 15 planes and helicopters, united brigade of marine corps, subdivisions of special units and search and rescue forces etc.

“The peculiar attention in planning of the following Sea Breeze is paid to cooperation with forces of the State Service for Emergency Situations of Ukraine which in 2013 will exercise for the first time,” told co-director of exercise of the Ukrainian part, Capitan of 1 rank Ihor Teryohin.

It should be noted that Sea Breeze-2013 exercise is targeting holding maritime security operations with the emphasis on evacuation measures. The participants of the maneuvers will exercise a series of joint trainings in liquidation of consequences of natural disaster and man-made accidents and also improve skills of interaction in the course of humanitarian actions directed to keeping security among civil population.

I was able to identify 5 of the 15 warships mentioned above.

Number
Name
Country
Type
F-246
TCG Salihreis
 Turkey
Frigate
F-103
Blas De Lezo
  Spain Frigate
P-334 TCG Meltem Turkey Fast Attack Craft
A-572 TCG Yzb. İhsan Tulunay Turkey Tanker
P-24 Sukhumi Georgia Patrol Boat

Any additional information about the participating units is as always welcomed.

Filed under Black Sea, Exercise Tagged with , , , ,

Turkish Warships Ended Their Visit In Odessa

25 May 2013

A-1600 TCG İskenderun enters into port of Odessa. Photo by Vladimir Trofimov, Odessa, specially for BSNews

A-1600 TCG İskenderun enters into port of Odessa. Photo by Vladimir Trofimov, Odessa, specially for BSNews. Used with permission. 

As reported earlier, Turkish Navy training ship A-577 TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa and the transporter A-1600 TCG İskenderun made an  official visit to Odessa, Ukraine.

The ships are carrying the students of the Turkish Naval Petty Officer Vocational School. Their first port of call was Samsun, Turkey. The ships will sail to Varna, Bulgaria after leaving Odessa.

The always information website BlackSea News has an excellent post with many photos about this visit of the Turkish ships. 

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The Summer Cruise Of Turkish Naval Cadets

21 May 2013

A-577 TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa, passing through Bosphorus in 2012.

A-577 TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa, passing through Bosphorus in 2012.

The training ship A-577 TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa and the transporter A-1600 TCG İskenderun are in Odessa, Ukraine for a 3 day official visit.

The ships are carrying the students of the Turkish Naval Petty Officer Vocational School. Their first port of call was Samsun, Turkey. The ships will sail to Varna, Bulgaria after leaving Odessa.

According to the blog Ships Bk, this is the third time TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa visits Odessa and the first time for TCG İskenderun.

Filed under Black Sea Tagged with , , , , ,

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