On 27 September the Norwegian submarine Utvaer sailed into Norfolk, Virginia, marking what is said to be the first time a submarine from that nation has visited a U.S. port. The Utvaer traveled to the United States to take part in antisubmarine training operations with a number of other naval assets. The vessel is an Ula-class boat, assembled by Thyssen Nordseewerke of Emden using the German type 210 design (but the pressure hull was produced separately by Kværner Brug in Oslo). Launched in April 1990, the Utvaer entered service in November of that year and has a small crew of about 20 personnel, including three officers. A total of six units were ordered in 1982 and all were in service by April 1992. Sisters include the Ula, Utsira, Utstein, Uthaug, and Uredd. The Utvaer joined Norway’s guided-missile frigate Fridtjof Nansen in Norfolk to assist with composite unit training for the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) Carrier Strike Group.
Pakistan’s Navy has acquired its first sail-training vessel. The ship, formerly named the Prince William, was purchased from the British charity group Tall Ships Youth Trust in September. Renamed the PNS Rah Naward (“Swift Mover”), the vessel is less than ten years old, but due to efficiency measures she had been laid up awaiting sale since 2007. Launched in 2001, the steel-hulled, two-masted brig measures 195 feet in length with a beam of 33 feet and a draft of 15 feet. She is reportedly able to achieve speeds in excess of 13 knots while under sail. During her time with the Tall Ships Youth Trust, the ship sailed with a complement of 48 student-crewmembers, 13 volunteers, and six salaried staff members. The Rah Naward was commissioned into Pakistani service on 20 September and set sail for Karachi, with planned stops along the way to visit France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen before her expected arrival in Pakistan during early December. Founded in 1956 and formerly known as the Sail Training Association, the Tall Ships Youth Trust serves as the United Kingdom’s oldest and largest sail-training charity for young people. It continues to operate a number of sail-training vessels, including the Rah Naward’s sister ship Stavros S Niarchos and four 22-meter Challenger yachts.
On 27 August HMS Astute, the first of the Royal Navy’s new class of submarines, was formally commissioned into service. The Astute arrived at her permanent homeport in Faslane on the Clyde, Scotland, in November 2009. Since then, the submarine has been undergoing sea trials, including her first dive, which took place in February. Armed with 38 weapons, including Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk land-attack missiles, the Astute is the first British submarine built with a non-hull-penetrating electro-optic mast instead of a traditional periscope. She is the namesake of her class, with up to six sister ships expected to join her in service during the coming years.