US ships are the talk of the IFR

Vishakhapatnam. 05 February,2016. Two US Navy ships deployed to Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, are representing the U.S. at the International Fleet Review in India  at Vishakhapatnam and are the topic of discussion everywhere at the IFR. The presence of the US  delegation led by US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson, is a statement of proof that the world is confident of India’s role in maintaining peace and stability not only in the region but also beyond.  

While in Visakhapatnam, CNO will meet with Sailors from USS Antietam (CG 54), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, and USS McCampbell (DDG 85), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. two MH60 helicopters , two guns and one missile system.

Captain Michael A. McCarteny, Commanding Officer of the USS Antietam(CG-54) in an exclusive chat with ADU

informed that the Antietam anchored off the coast of Visakhapatnam, to participate in the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2016, yesterday. With  400 persons aboard, forty officers on various duties and seven pilots aboard the criuiser, along with the sailors are on the anchored ship and look forward to participating in the international Fleet Review  2016. He said, “We are excited to be part of the Indian International Fleet Review. Most of our shipmates have never visited India and are experiencing Indian Culture first hand.”

 The ship all set to celebrate twenty years of its launch on February 14, was named after  the 1862 Battle of Antietam, Maryland, during the American Civil War. She was built by the Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation at Pascagoula, Mississippi and commissioned on 6 June 1987. USS Antietam earned the 2007 and 2008 Battle Efficiency awards, also known as the Battle E award, for the USS John C. Stennis Strike Group. A part of the Pacific Fleet of the US Navy it is based at the homeport Yokosuka, Japan.

A part of the Pacific Fleet of the US Navy it is based at the homeport Yokosuka, Japan. USS Antietam’s primary mission is to operate with aircraft carrier battle groups and surface action groups in extreme threat environments well into the 21st century. The purpose of the ship is to detect, classify and track hundreds of potential targets simultaneously in the air, on the surface, and under the sea. It can destroy targets using a variety of weapons: ship and helicopter launched torpedoes, deck guns, surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, rapid-fire close-in weapons, and electronic jammers and decoys.

USS McCampbell (DDG-85) the other US ship at the IFR is  an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy, named for Captain David McCampbell (1910–1996), the Navy’s leading ace in World War II. She was built at the Bath Iron Works in Maine. She arrived at Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan as part of the US Navy’s Forward Deployed Naval Forces in July 2007, and is now permanently home ported there.

McCampbell maintains on board an active VBSS team to conduct anti piracy, anti-smuggling, and anti-terrorist operations. The ship was an active participant in IMDEX, and the VBSS team was a centerpiece in the multilateral training effort held in conjunction with the exposition.

 Cmdr. Edward Sundberg, commanding officer of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85), said, “These critical relationships are enhanced by maintaining interoperable navy capabilities that deter regional aggression and build partner security capacity. For some of my crew, this will be their second time visiting with the Indian Navy. They have a terrific navy and my crew looks forward to continuing and expanding our relationship with them.”

Concluding in a statement to ADU Captain McCartney  said that it starts with areas of strength  the Indian navy’s influence promises to go beyond into Pacific, Mediterranean and other oceans.