British Royal Navy

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Off the Coast of Florida, UK Suffers Missile 'Anomaly'

Submarine has a 'highly embarrassing' 2nd misfire of Trident missile

(Newser) - A Trident missile shot off a British nuclear submarine in a test launch last month didn't fare well: It misfired and crashed into the waters off of Florida. Per Sky News , the UK Defense Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that an "anomaly" had taken place during the Jan. 30...

UK Says Iranian Vessels Tried to Block Oil Tanker

Royal Navy vessel intervened, government say

(Newser) - The British navy says it prevented three Iranian paramilitary vessels from impeding the passage of a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Thursday, a day after Iran's president warned of repercussions for the seizure of its own supertanker. Iran's Revolutionary Guard denied the allegations, saying...

Russia Sends Navy Ships to Skirt British Waters

'Britain will never be intimidated,' defense chief warns

(Newser) - Tensions between Russia and Britain are heating up on the high seas. Britain's Royal Navy has dispatched ships and a helicopter in recent days to track and, in some cases, escort Russian naval ships near UK waters, reports the Washington Post . The British warship HMS St. Albans escorted the...

This $1.4B Warship Doesn't Work in Warm Water

British destroyer basically loses all power while sailing in Persian Gulf

(Newser) - Crew members in the British Royal Navy keep coming up against a pesky, possibly dangerous Achilles' heel as their $1.4 billion warships cruise through the Persian Gulf: warm waters. Water temps there can hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and that's causing the ships to lose power, CNN reports. During...

The Man Who Erased Islands From Our Maps

One ocean surveyor was charged with erasing phantom islands

(Newser) - When ocean surveyor Captain Sir Frederick Evans became the new chief hydrographer to the Royal Navy in the 1870s, he was tasked with charting the Pacific Ocean, which for more than 400 years had been filling up with "phantom islands," reports Intelligent Life magazine. That is, islands that...

US Team Finds Sunken WWII Sub

HMS Olympus found on sea floor near Malta

(Newser) - The watery grave of scores of British servicemen has been found nearly 70 years after their submarine was sunk by a mine off the coast of Malta. A team from the American marine archaeology group Aurora Trust used a remotely operated vehicle to find the HMS Olympus on the floor...

British Sailor on Nuclear Sub Kills Officer: Police

Another person badly wounded; terrorism not suspected

(Newser) - A British sailor aboard a nuclear-powered submarine apparently shot dead a crew member and seriously wounded another today while the vessel was on a goodwill visit to an English port. The suspect was overpowered by colleagues and visiting dignitaries aboard HMS Astute and arrested on suspicion of murder. Police and...

Grounded Airlines Want Ban Lifted

After test flights, carriers push for reevaluation; UK hold extended

(Newser) - Some airlines have conducted their own test flights and want the ban on most flights over Europe ended, but UK airspace will remain closed until tomorrow evening at the earliest. Air Berlin, Air France/KLM, and Lufthansa have sent aircraft through the cloud of volcanic ash that's crippled air travel for...

British Pirate Captives Beg for Help

Death looms without ransom

(Newser) - A British couple abducted by pirates as they sailed off Africa are pleading for help before they're killed. Rachel Chandler, seized three months ago and held separately from her husband, Paul, in Somalia, begged for aid in a phone call to British TV after the pirates vowed to kill them...

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