PLA Navy news, pics and videos

watdahek said:

Is it time to start a thread on the 2019 naval parade? I think it will be useful to gather all relevant news such as what ships are going, which countries are attending, etc. Too bad there is no information on how open the event will be to public. In the 2009 naval parade, people are not even allowed to go check out the visiting foreign vessels, much less the PLAN ships.

Click to expand...

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has been active in providing security products for the international community since its founding, a senior naval officer said Saturday.

Qiu Yanpeng, deputy commander of the navy, made the remarks at a press conference for the upcoming multinational naval events in celebration of the navy's 70th founding anniversary.

The PLA Navy is always a force of peace, and will never pose a threat to any other country, he said.

The navy has paid over 100 visits to 94 countries and 138 ports, and has held more than 60 joint military drills with foreign navies over the 70 years, according to Qiu.

Since 2008, the navy has sent 32 escort fleets, 103 vessels, 69 helicopters and more than 27,000 officers and soldiers to escort over 6,600 vessels, more than a half of which were foreign merchant ships, he continued.

Since 2010, the naval hospital ship Peace Ark has traveled to 43 countries and regions and provided free medical services to over 230,000 people, Qiu said.

In 2015, a Chinese naval vessel evacuated 621 Chinese citizens and over 270 people of other nationalities from war-torn Yemen, he added.

The Chinese Navy will continue to work hard to promote world peace, facilitate global development and safeguard the international order, while making new greater contributions to global and regional peace and stability, as well as the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, Qiu said.

Click to expand...

• Captain Eric Anduze says the crew of about 1,000 men and women will be able to explore the city
• US Navy’s Seventh Fleet band will also hold several public concerts, including at the Maritime Museum, Ocean Park and Disneyland

The oldest operational ship in the US Navy, the USS Blue Ridge, arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday on its first visit to the city in three years.

Captain Eric Anduze, commander of the 48-year-old warship, said the crew of about 1,000 men and women would be able to explore the city while some sailors would visit a home for the elderly and one for disabled adults.

“We have sailed these waters for a long time. We have been to Hong Kong several times, we’re excited to be back after a three-year hiatus,” Anduze said on board the US Seventh Fleet’s command and control ship, which was moored at the China Merchants Wharf in Kennedy Town.

The Seventh Fleet band will also hold several public concerts, including at the Maritime Museum, Ocean Park and Disneyland. “We look forward to engaging with your community and experiencing the culture in the next couple of days,” Anduze said.

The 194-metre (636-foot) Blue Ridge, which is based in Yokosuka, Japan, started this mission in early February as part of its work to provide mobile command and control capability throughout the Indo-Pacific. It visited cities in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia before its port of call in Hong Kong.

The ship also sailed through the contested South China Sea during its trip, but Anduze stressed that it had done so in accordance with international law, amid Beijing’s objection to a US military presence in the disputed waters.

“As part of navigation we not only encountered the Chinese navy, but also several other navies throughout our time,” he said. “I can tell you every interaction I’ve had with every single navy has been safe and professional. We follow the rules, and follow international laws.”

As the oldest operational vessel of the US navy, the 19,000-tonne flagship had undergone major maintenance in the past three years, Anduze said.

The ship’s communications and network system was completely refurbished.

“Its capabilities are leaps and bounds over what we had before. It provides commanders of the Seventh Fleet with the ability to conduct exercises, real war operations and communicate with the fleet without hesitation from anywhere in the world, pierside or at sea,” he said.

The ship will stay for several days in Hong Kong but future operations have not been disclosed for security reasons. The Blue Ridge last visited Hong Kong in April 2016.

Many of the sailors were in Hong Kong for the first time.

Ensign Bishop, 23, who was on his first mission, said he was most excited about Hong Kong among all of the cities he had visited.

“I’m excited about the authentic food here … It’s really pretty,” said Bishop, who has been in the navy for 11 months.

Click to expand...

Jura said:

now I read
US Navy’s oldest operational ship, USS Blue Ridge, arrives on its first port visit to Hong Kong in three years

• Captain Eric Anduze says the crew of about 1,000 men and women will be able to explore the city
• US Navy’s Seventh Fleet band will also hold several public concerts, including at the Maritime Museum, Ocean Park and Disneyland

Updated: 11:15pm, 20 Apr, 2019

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...