The Turkish government took a major step forward in its plans to upgrade the navy's frigate fleet when it requested the purchase of six MK 41 vertical-launch systems (VLS) and their associated electronics from the United States. Two of the systems will be carried on board the MEKO 200TN Track II-A frigates Barbaros and Orucreis, pictured here. The new MK 41 launcher will bring these frigates up to the more capable Track II-B standard, replacing the MK 29 Sea Sparrow launcher carried abaft the twin stacks and allowing them to launch Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles. Sister ships Salihreis and Kemalreis already carry the VLS system but will have their modules upgraded from Baseline IV to Baseline VII configuration as part of the frigate upgrade process. The other four VLS modules that were requested will arm Turkish Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigates that are being upgraded under the "Genesis"-frigate program. Turkey hopes to eventually upgrade all ten of its Perry-class frigates with the MK 41 system, including two frigates that were approved for transfer late in 2007.
France recently achieved a rare international victory against the growing and largely unchecked trend of maritime piracy this past April when its forces captured suspected pirates involved in hijacking the 88-meter French luxury yacht Ponant and its 30-member crew. Soon after word of the hijacking was received, the French corvette Commandant Bouan and the Canadian frigate Charlottetown were diverted to shadow the captured vessel. Following a seven-day ordeal, all of the hostages were released reportedly after the yacht owners paid a ransom. The freed hostages were soon brought on board the French destroyer Jean Bart, pictured here, before being transferred to the nearby helicopter carrier and cadet training ship Jeanne d'Arc. Once the hostages were safe, French maritime patrol aircraft monitored the pirates' attempted escape into Somalia. There they were engaged and captured by helicopter-borne French counterterrorism forces deployed from ships in the region, including the oiler Var. In June 2008, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a resolution allowing foreign warships to enter Somali territorial waters when in pursuit of pirates.
On 23 April 2008 Denmark retired four patrol vessels assigned to their Naval Home Guard force. The craft included the 31-meter, 330-ton patrol craft Agdlak; the 26-meter, 155-ton Faro; and two 20-meter long, 130-ton MHV-90-class patrol boats, Hvidsten and sister Brigaden, shown here. Having provided a combined 136 years of service to the Danish fleet, each of the decommissioned vessels was more than three decades old. The Home Guard warships were armed with either 12.7-mm or 7.62-mm machine guns and performed general patrol, environmental patrol, and search and rescue operations along the Danish coast.