Pacific Perspective:New NORTHCOM Commander Focused on Defending Alaska

GEN Gregory Guillot,USAF,new Commander of U.S. Northern Command/NORAD,wants to secure Alaska's coasts from Russian and Chinese incursions.Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee,GEN Guillot said:The best way for us to counter them is to have presence of our own,so the execution of exercises and patrols is extremely important off all our coasts,primarily focusing right now on the region of Alaska.And the same applies on what we call the "two o'clock approach" of on the Northeast,making sure we have a presence there...strong exercise program,multinantional,a lot of Partners,showing that we have the resolve to defend that most strategic area.*Speaking to the House Armed Services Committee,GEN Guillot noted that:Fortunately,we haven't seen Chinese aircraft near our...Air Defence Indentification Zone (ADIZ) yet,but I think that's coming as early as this year.That shows our overall concern I have about the growing capability of China not only with aircraft;but also with ships and even submarines being able to range further from China and closer to our shores.China is conducting regional activities of a technical or scientific research,but we think it's certainly multimission to include military operations.And then I expect to see air activity in the Alaska part of the Arctic as soon as this year potentially.It's a very big concern of mine.Just last week,for the first time in over two years,down along that avenue we call the GIUK Gap-Greenland,Iceland and the UK-approaching the Commander and US ADIZs,we were able to track two TU-142 Russian Bear bombers the entire time thanks to the radar network and the information sharing between countries within EUCOM (U.S. European Command)-Norway is one I'll point out-and Northern Command.We didn't have to intercept them because we had aircraft flying to the point where we would intercept them before they crossed the Identification Zone.So we had aircraft,both Canadian and US fighters,posted along the line,which I think is probably disheartening for the Russians to fly all that way to find out that we're waiting for them...I view hypersonic as perhaps the most destabilising threat that we have out there because of the speed and the unpredictability on where it will impact-as opposed to a ballistic missile,which is fairly predictable...We do appreciate that the Coast Guard is procuring new icebreakers,but even with these we'll be severely outnumbered.And that does limit our freedom of manoeuvre in the region...Upon taking command,I began a 90-day assessment to inform the Department (of the Air Force),the Joint Force and Congress on NORAD and NORTHCOM's ability to execute assigned tasks,and make recommendations on where the Command could or should do more.Once complete,I look forward to sharing my findings and updated vision for how NORAD and NORTHCOM will best execute the noble mission of national defence.*USNORTHCOM conducts homeland defence,civil support,and security cooperation to defend and secure the United States and its interests.NORAD conducts aerospace warning,aerospace control and maritime warning in the defence of North America.*NORTHCOM leadership:GEN Guillot received his commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy.He also holds a degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and a Master of Strategic Studies from the National War College.He has commanded a flying squadron;operations group;two Flying Wings;and a Numbered Air Force,including the 965th Airborne Air Control Squadron;380th Expeditionary Operations Group;562nd Air Control Wing;55th Wing;and Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central).He has served on Numbered Air Force,major command,Headquarters Air Force,and command staffs;and was an Air Force Weapons School instructor.As a General Officer,his previous assignments include Director of Strategic Plans,Requirements and Programs;Headquarters Pacific Air Forces;Deputy Commander U.S. Air Forces CENTCOM;Director of Operations,Headquarters U.S. Northern Command;Commander,Ninth Air Force;Combined Force Air Component Commander,USCENTCOM;and Deputy Commander,USCENTCOM.His personal awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal;Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster;Defense Superior Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters;Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster;Bronze Star Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters;Meritorius Service Medal with silver and bronze Oak Leaf Clusters.The GEN is a senior air battle manager with more than 1380 flying hours in E-3B/C/G Sentry AWACS and RC-135 V/W/S Rivet Joint aircraft.*GEN Guilldot assumed command of USNORTHCOM/NORAD on 5 February 2024.USNORTHCOM has few permanently assigned forces.The Command is assigned forces whenever necessary to execute missions,as ordered by the President or Secretary of Defense.For example,a U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter was recently sent on patrol to monitor a flotilla of Russian and Chinese warships.Civil Service employees and uniformed service members representing all service branches work at NORTHCOM's Headquarters at Peterson Space Force Base,Colorado.The Deputy Commander of USNORTHCOM and Vice-Commander,U.S. Element NORAD,is LTGEN A.C. Roper,U.S. Army.

Defence Updates: Counter-UAS, Collaborative Combat Aircraft, and the F-35 Program - Avionics International

Defense Updates: Counter-UAS, Collaborative Combat Aircraft, and the F-35 Program - Avionics International: A developmental test team flew the Technology Refresh-3 configuration of the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter for the first time on Jan. 6. Lockheed Martin (LMT),Northrop Grumman (NOC),Raytheon Technologies (RTX)

Special Report:NORAD Announces Test Flights Over DC Area

NORAD,the North American Aerospace Defense Command,has alerted the public that it will conduct a series of test flights over the Washington,DC area between 11pm and 5:30am on Monday and Tuesday nights,June 18-20.The exercises will be coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration and other authorities.F-16 Fighting Falcon interceptors,as well as a U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter and civilian aircraft,will be participating in the drill.According to NORAD,the flights are a test of interception and identification operations,as well as a certification process for new command and control personnel.Since the 9-11 attacks,NORAD has been routinely patrolling the skies over New York,Washington and other big U.S. cities,as well as over Camp David,the presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountain Park.The U.S. Coast Guard contributes heavily armed helicopters to Washington,DC's security.NORAD is the binational U.S.-Canadian military organisation that ensures the sovereignty of the continental airspace.

Canadian Coast Guard To Receive New Icebreaker

Canada has awarded a design contract for a new polar icebreaker to STX Canada Marine.The vessel is slated to replace the current flagship icebreaker Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St.-Laurent in 2017.The Canadian Coast Guard operates a number of other light to heavy icebreakers.The new ship will be 140 meters long-or 454.3 feet-and displace 23,000 tonnes.It will be capable of breaking ice about 2.4 meters/8 feet thick.This John G. Diefenbaker class ship will carry out a wide range of Arctic and winter missions for Fisheries and Oceans Canada,the Canadian Coast Guard's parent ministry.These will include everything from scientific research to fisheries and sovereignty enforcement and search and rescue.In the meantime,CGCS Louis S. St.-Laurent will continue to carry out such missions.Since 2008,she has been conducting Arctic research annually with U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy(WAGB-20),America's only functional polar icebreaker at this time.The Canada-U.S. Joint Expedition program has been an effort to ascertain the delineation of the extended continental shelf in the Arctic.This is important for the protection,management and use of ocean resources under the Convention on the Law of the Sea,which requires a defintion of rights in concrete geographical terms.The research involves gathering bathymetric data for a 3D map of the ocean floor,as well as seismic reflection data for a cross-section view of beneath the ocean floor.Another American polar icebreaker,USCGC Polar Star(WAGB-10),is currently being reactivated for return to service in 2013.This blog would like to extend hearty congratulations to the Canadian Coast Guard on the occasion of its 50th anniversary year.

National Security Cutters Joining the Fleet

The U.S. Coast Guard's National Security Cutter program is right on track.Three of the planned eight vessels have been delivered,and a fourth is under construction. The NSC is the Coast Guard's largest cutter.It is 418 feet long,with a beam of 54 feet.The ship can carry up to two helicopters or unmanned aerial vehicles.With a crew of 108,an NSC can sail at up to 28 knots on its three engines.Its armament consists of a Mk110 57mm gun,as well as a Phalanx Mk 15 CIWS,or Close-In Weapons System,and four M2 .50-caliber machine guns. Some of the missions the NSCs have been on include drug interdiction;Arctic patrol;and operations and exercises abroad in support of the Department of Defense.Huntington Ingalls Industries and Lockheed Martin are the program's prime contractors. The oldest of the NSCs is USCGC Bertholf(WMSL 750),which was commissioned in 2008. Huntington Ingalls Industries(HII),Lockheed Martin(LMT)

Coast Guardsman and Astronaut

Captain Dan Burbank,50,is the second Coast Guardsman to be a NASA astronaut.Born and raised in Connecticut,he graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1985 and became an instructor pilot.Primarily a helicopter aviator,he flew more than 1800 missions,with more than 300 of them being search and rescue.Obtaining an M.S. degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,he began his space flight career with two missions aboard the space shuttle Atlantis in 2000 and 2006,respectively.These involved space walks in which Captain Burbank racked up 7 hours and 11 minutes of EVA time.By 2011,he was on International Space Station crews,serving on Expedition 29 and as Commander on Expedition 30,which just concluded on 27 April.His total time in space is 247 days.Captain Burbank has been decorated with the Legion of Merit;the Air Medal;the National Defense Service Medal with two stars;the NASA Exceptional Service Medal;the Coast Guard Commendation Medal with one award star;and several others.A photo of Captain Burbank after touchdown in Kazakhstan is offered in the previous post. Commander Bruce Melnick,U.S. Coast Guard retired,was the first member of his service to fly in space.

USCGC Healy Prepares For Summer Patrol

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy(WAGB-20)is in a standard maintenance period at its Seattle,Washington homeport.The Healy is America's only operational polar icebreaker.The Polar Star(WAGB-10)is being reactivated at Vigor Shipyard in Seattle for service in 2013.
Polar Sea(WAGB-11)had an engine failure and is slated for decommissioning.President Barack Obama included initial funding for a replacement icebreaker in his 2013 budget request.
The Healy is mainly used for scientific research with its five labs.It can accommodate up to 50 scientists,along with 85 crew.Cruising at 12 knots,it has a maximum speed of 17 knots and can continuously break 4.5 feet of ice.The Healy became operational in 2000.
As a Coast Guard Cutter,the Healy can also perform other missions,such as logistics;search and rescue;ship escort;environmental protection;and enforcement of laws and treaties in the Polar Regions.Indeed,this past January the Healy escorted the Russian fuel tanker Renda through the Bering Sea ice to deliver urgently needed fuel to Nome,Alaska.Nome had missed its November fuel delivery because of inclement weather and may not have had enough fuel to get through the winter.
That was an unplanned mission.The Healy was to have headed home for Christmas on 17 December.Instead,it completed the escort mission on 29 January.It had left homeport on 27 May,and arrived back on 5 February.
Captain Beverly A. Havlik is Commanding Officer of USCGC Healy.

Reality T.V.,Coast Guard Style

The Weather Channel has been exploiting the U.S. Coast Guard for its own purposes of generating ratings and making a profit.The question is,is the Coast Guard getting a fair amount in return?
"Coast Guard Alaska" documents life at the Kodiak air station in seven 60 minute episodes.It does make for compelling viewing.For human interest,it's hard to top search and rescue,which the Kodiak Island unit appears to spend most of its time on.Even those who really aren't interested in the Coast Guard as an institution,nor understand the service fully,will be drawn in by the life and death situations which are the bread and butter of this particular outpost.The documentary has the added virtue of being amenable to the viewing habits of many of TWC's viewers,who mainly watch the channel in short snippets to-let's face it-get the local forecast on the way out the door or in airport lounges and hotel rooms.You can watch the episodes rescue by rescue,since the events are sufficiently self-explanatory. In short,the show is a winner for TWC.As to whether the Coast Guard is winning equally is more difficult to quantify.Ultimately,the service's leadership will have to ponder that one and render the appropriate decision.
The Weather Channel's goal is to reward its investors through profitable entertainment.The Coast Guard's goal is neither to entertain nor to make a profit,but to preserve the homeland security of the United States through its various missions.
The Weather Channel is co-owned by NBC Universal,Bain Capital and The Blackstone Group,L.P.In turn,NBC Universal is co-owned by Comcast and General Electric."Coast Guard Alaska" is a production of Al Roker Entertainment,whose CEO is the popular NBC personality.
The Weather Channel is seen by more than 100 million U.S. viewers.Other TWC long-form original content series include "Twist of Fate" and "From the Edge with Peter Lik."

Coast Guard Puts Transocean On Notice

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a Notice of Federal Intent to Transocean,owner of the abandoned Deepwater Horizon oil rig,which now sits on the ocean floor near BP's capped Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico.The notice informs a party it may be liable for cleanup costs and damages under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.The Coast Guard recently spotted a number of sheens on the ocean's surface near the site of the crippled rig and well,which caused a catastrophic oil spill in April 2010.
Captain Johnathan Burton,commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit Morgan City,said the notice is part of the Coast Guard's process whenever there is an oil sighting that cannot be immediately attributed to a specific source.The Coast Guard said the oil sheens may be leaking from a severed pipe that once connected the rig to the well.This riser pipe now lies twisted on the ocean floor.
Both Transocean and BP said they will cooperate with the Coast Guard's investigation of the sheens,but pointed fingers at each other as the potentially liable party.In late August,a BP submarine survey of the area showed no leakage from the Macondo well itself.The well was capped on 15 July,2010 and permanently sealed on 19 September of that year.
Enforcing environmental laws and responding to oil spills are some of the Coast Guard's core missions.It played a key role in assessing,investigating and mitigating the Macondo well spill.

Bridges To Somewhere:Thespian Family Receive Navy Memorial Honor

The Bridges family,who have lent their talents to American dramatic arts for over 60 years,are receiving the U.S. Navy Memorial's Lone Sailor Award on September 22 in Washington,D.C.The late Lloyd Bridges and his two sons,Beau and Jeff,will be saluted for their decades of service to country and community.All three are U.S. Coast Guard veterans.
Lloyd Bridges,who died in 1998,served in the Coast Guard from 1941-45;Beau Bridges served in the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserves from1959-1967;Jeff Bridges followed with his service in the Coast Guard and USCGR from 1967-75.It's a fact that may surprise many of their fans.One doesn't necessarily associate Hollywood with the U.S. Coast Guard.
The family has several hundred television,record and film credits to their name,from Lloyd's hit TV series Sea Hunt(1958-61)to Beau's Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Award for "An Inconvenient Truth"(1989) and Jeff's Best Actor Oscar for his role in "Crazy Heart"(2009).
Beau and Jeff also have a sister,Lucinda Bridges.
Lloyd Bridges received an Honorary Commodore Award from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary,11th Coast Guard District Los Angeles.Son Beau served aboard U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dexter(WHEC-385).
Also receiving the Lone Sailor honor for 2011 are baseball legends Jerry Coleman and Bob Feller,who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy,respectively;as well as Brian Lamb,C-Span founder and U.S. Navy veteran.

Bollinger Built The Boats:Coast Guard Secures Persian Gulf

The U.S. Coast Guard continues to secure the Persian Gulf in support of Operation New Dawn,successor to Operation Iraqi Freedom.Performing the task are the crews of six Island class patrol boats.These 110-foot cutters have a complement of 16 and a range of 1900 nautical miles.They are armed with one Mk38 25mm machine gun and two .50 caliber machine guns.
The Island class is powered by two diesel engines and has a speed of 29.5+ knots.It is currently being refurbished for cost-effectiveness and to extend its service life by another 15 years.The patrol boats are the product of Bollinger Shipyards,Inc.
Bollinger operates 12 shipyards with 32 drydocks in South Louisiana and Texas.It was founded in 1946 and serves both commercial and military interests.

Response Boat-Mediums:New Coast Guard Workhorse

The Response Boat-Medium is destined to be the U.S. Coast Guard's workhorse for shore-based units.A multi-mission craft,it is survivable in seas up to 12 feet and features twin diesel engines with waterjet propulsion,as well as advanced navigation.With a speed of up to 42.5 knots,the RB-M is much faster than its predecessor,the 41-foot Utility Boat,Big,which can only reach 26 knots.
The RB-M was introduced to the fleet in 2008 and will be added to it until 2016.Marinette Marine Corporation and its partner,Kvichak Marine Industries,are building 180 of the highly maneuverable boats,which are lightly armed with two M240 machine guns.The RB-M is 44.9 feet in length and has a complement of four.

Carnival Splendor Arrives Home

The cruise liner Carnival Splendor has safely docked in San Diego,several hours ahead of schedule.The ship had been protected by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Morgenthau(WHEC 722).The Morgenthau is homeported at Alameda,California.A Hamilton class high endurance cutter,the Morgenthau has a complement of 162.
Many of the Hamilton class cutters saw combat duty in Vietnam.They are heavily armed with several guns and a Phalanx Close-In Weapons System,and have long-range capability,with a range of 14,000 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots.
A U.S. Navy corpsman aboard the cutter was available for any medical needs of the cruise liner's passengers and crew.Fortunately,it appears they suffered only varying degrees of discomfort and aggravation.
On this Veterans Day,America salutes you,our military men and women.
Carnival Corp(CCL)

Early Edition:Military Aid Arrives At Cruise Ship

Help has begun arriving off the coast of Baja California,Mexico,where the cruise liner Carnival Splendor was disabled by an aft engine room fire early Tuesday.The first of two tugboats had reached the liner as of Tuesday evening,a Carnival spokesperson said.
The fire left the huge ship without plumbing,air conditioning and cooking.Carnival said the Splendor should reach San Diego by late Thursday.The company is arranging for hotels and flights home for the passengers,and will provide full refunds plus a future cruise for them.
The Splendor had left Long Beach,California on Sunday with 3299 passengers and 1167 crew.The U.S. Navy responded to a request for aid.Sailors sent eight planeloads of food-including plenty of Spam-water and other supplies from an air station to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan(CVN 76),which will in turn supply the Splendor by helicopter.
Navy personnel who have been delivering the supplies report that the passengers are in good spirits,taking photos of the Navy helicopters.
There have been no serious injuries reported,but two passengers and one crew member had panic attacks.A U.S. Coast Guard cutter is shadowing the Splendor.Security is a concern,given the disabled liner's vulnerability to drug traffickers and terrorists.
Update:Both tugboats are now pulling the Splendor,and the operation is proceeding without incident.The liner's crew got auxiliary power going last night,so cold water is now on tap.For some historical context,see this week's post in International Daybook,which you can reach from the link list in the right column.
Carnival Corp(CCL)

D.C. Area Mystery:Assailant Targets Sea Services

A serial assailant has been attacking sea services facilities in Northern Virginia.Tuesday morning,it was discovered that the shooter had fired on a U.S. Coast Guard recruiting station at a Woodbridge,Virginia mall.
The individual has also taken pot shots at the Pentagon;on two occasions,at the Marine Corps museum in Quantico;and at a Marine Corps recruiting station.The same weapon was used in the Marine Corps shootings.
An FBI profile theorized that the person has a grudge against the Marine Corps,but the attack on the Coast Guard calls that motivation into question.
No one has been injured in the shootings,which took place in pre-dawn hours.At least some of them were believed to have been carried out from a highway.There are no suspects in the incidents so far.
What would normally be considered safe postings have suddenly taken on menace for the service members who work in the area,as well as the civilians who have business there.
Update:The FBI has ascertained that the Coast Guard shooting was from the same weapon as the other four attacks.

Northrop Grumman Distances Shipbuilding

Northrop Grumman,one of the main U.S. shipbuilders,is reflecting on its role as shipbuilder to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard.Frankly,the contractor no longer seems to be comfortable with that role.CEO Wes Bush says that shipbuilding has little synergy with Northrop's other activities.He feels it may be time to spin the division off,while the rest of the company focuses on high tech information systems,electronic systems and aerospace systems projects.Shipbuilding may be a bit too boilerplate for Northrop at this point,especially in light of likely defense budget constraints in the offing.
In any event,Northrop is making major moves at its shipyards.It is laying off 642 workers at its Pascagoula,Mississippi shipyard by the end of the year,following a previous layoff of 400;decided to close its Avondale,Louisiana shipyard entirely in 2013;and will also shut its small shipyard in Tallulah,Louisiana down by year's end.The closures are attributed to the timing of contracts and the cyclical nature of shipbuilding.The consolidation will reduce future costs,increase efficiency and address shipbuilding overcapacity,Wes Bush stated.
The company has been promoting its unmanned systems division,as well as its participation in the Navy's CANES,or Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services program,which involves moving critical data seamlessly over a common network system through expert integration,making the fleet more agile.
Northrop Grumman(NOC)

Coast Guard Marks 220th Birthday

The U.S. Coast Guard was established by the Treasury Department as the Revenue Cutter Service on 4 August,1790.This armed 10-ship force policed maritime trade,collecting tariffs and arresting smugglers.In 1915,the RCS absorbed the U.S. Lifesaving Service and assumed the Coast Guard name.The U.S. Lighthouse Service was added in 1939,as was the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation in 1942.
The Coast Guard's homeland security responsibilities grew markedly in the wake of the 9-11 attacks,and it has always served alongside,or even within,the U.S. Navy in our nation's wars.Since 2003,six Coast Guard cutters and more than 400 personnel have been detailed to the Persian Gulf for various security and training assignments related to the Iraq War.
All told,the Coast Guard has 11 core missions,from icebreaking to fisheries enforcement and national defense.Special attention is paid to defending Washington,D.C. from terrorist attack,whether by patrols with the 25-foot Response Boat-Smalls on the Potomac River,or by Dolphin helicopters armed with machine guns and .50-caliber Precision Fire Weapons.
Strong efforts are underway to prevent the Coast Guard's budget from being cut,given the multitude of vital tasks the service performs today as in the past.

Admiral Papp Assumes Command

The Coast Guard has a new Commandant.He is Admiral Robert J. Papp,Jr.Admiral Papp succeeds Admiral Thad W. Allen,who continues to lead the BP oil spill effort in retirement.Admiral Papp graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1975,going on to earn a master of arts degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College,as well as a master of science in management from Salve Regina University.The admiral had served as Atlantic Area Commander,Commander of Defense Force East and Chief of Staff Coast Guard.
Admiral Papp is committed to all the Coast Guard's many missions,from search and rescue to drug interdiction and the newer counter-terrorism and anti-piracy missions off Somalia.He is additionally concerned about the need to consider a new ice breaker for the Arctic patrol function,which could cost upwards of a billion dollars to build.The only active icebreaker is the Polar Sea,which will be retired in a few years.There is an effort underway to refurbish the mothballed Polar Star for another seven to eight years of service.With activity in the Arctic picking up in recent years,the icebreaker issue is becoming more critical than ever before.
Now belonging to the Department of Homeland Security,the Coast Guard has 42,000 active duty personnel,in addition to 7,000 civilian workers.It has assisted with maritime security in the Iraq War.

Guadalcanal Veteran Dies

Captain Benjamin R. Eggeman,Jr.,U.S. Navy Retired,a veteran of major Pacific theater operations of World War II,died 7 April.Born in 1918 in Grand Haven,Michigan,Captain Eggeman graduated from Yale in 1941,receiving his commission from Yale naval ROTC.He served in the Pacific as an amphibious landing officer,participating in the battles of Guadalcanal,Iwo Jima,Leyte Gulf,Saipan,Bougainville and Luzon.He went on to serve in the Atlantic Fleet aboard cruisers and destroyers,as well as command the USS Putnam(DD-757),USS Denebola(AD-12) and Destroyer Squadron Two.
Captain Eggeman also served in several capacities in the Plans and Policy field,rising to a position on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.A graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces,he additionally earned a Masters in Business from George Washngton University.He was awarded several decorations,including the Legion of Merit,a Bronze Star with V,a Navy Unit Citation,a Phillipines Presidential Unit Citattion,Phillipines Liberation Medal and World War II Victory Medal.
After retiring,Captain Eggeman served in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and on land use panels in Fairfax County,Virginia.Survived by his wife Jeanne,three sons and six grandsons,he will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery.

Cruiser Crew Visits Gettysburg

Six crew members from the USS Gettysburg(CG64) are visiting their namesake town of Gettysburg,Pennsylvania.Sponsored by the USS Gettysburg Society,the sailors presented a book to city hall documenting their recent activities in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Aden,where they captured 36 Somali pirates.They were hosted at a Cumberland Township restaurant before retiring for the night to a fire station.On Wednesday,they will visit a middle school and high school before touring the Civil War battlefield and other sites in the historic town.The visit concludes on Thursday.
The USS Gettysburg is a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser.Homeported in Mayport,Florida,the crew is a frequent guest in the Southcentral Pennsylvania town made famous by the epic battle and Abraham Lincoln's address at the National Cemetery.The ship's motto is "Deeds Not Words."She received the USS Arizona Award for combat performance in July,2009.Besides intercepting pirates,she has also disrupted drug trafficking in concert with the U.S. Coast Guard.