USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Lake Champlain Arrive in Hawaii

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Kelsey Adams | 170613-N-RM689-242 WESTERN PACIFIC (June 13, 2017) Sailors man mooring line as Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) moors to a pier on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for a scheduled port visit. The U.S. Navy has patrolled the Indo-Asia-Pacific routinely for more than 70 years promoting regional peace and security. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kelsey L. Adams/Released)  

PACIFIC OCEAN

06.14.2017

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kelsey Adams 

Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet           

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii-- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) and The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) moored at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickman for their final scheduled port visit of the Western Pacific Deployment with Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, June 13.
While moored, the ships will be joined by Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112), where the primary mission for the Sailors will be liberty after being out to sea for more than 65 consecutive days.
“In Hawaii, our main mission will be for Sailors to enjoy their hard-earned liberty time, by relaxing and enjoying the Hawaiian culture,” said Capt. Chris Cegielski, commanding officer of Lake Champlain. “It was a long underway period for the crew, but the Sailors remained focused the whole time and accomplished every task and mission that was put before them with both efficiency and professionalism. However, the secondary mission for our ships will be to take on fuel and cargo and to conduct preservation operations, such as painting the ship, while in port.”
After this port visit, Wayne E. Meyer and Lake Chaplain are scheduled to embark friends and family members of the crews for a tiger cruise as they head back to their homeport in San Diego.
Since leaving Singapore April 8, Wayne E. Meyer and Lake Champlain have conducted routine operations and participated in multiple training exercises with the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
“During this last underway period, CSG-1 operated with the ROK Navy and JMSDF doing exercises such as live-fire gun shoots, visit, board, search and seizure drills, formation steaming exercises, cross decking with aircrafts, and undersea warfare exercises,” said Cmdr. Vincent A. Fortson, commanding officer of Wayne E. Meyer. “The multiple exercises were successful due to the communication between all the ships. We were able to gain an increased familiarity with one another due to the extended time period CSG-1 operated with the JMSDF and ROK Navy.”
Wayne E. Meyer and Lake Champlain are on a regularly scheduled Western Pacific deployment with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group.

The U.S. Navy has patrolled the Indo-Asia-Pacific routinely for more than 70 years promoting regional peace and security. Carl Vinson has deployed to the region several times, starting with a deployment to the Western Pacific in 1983, a year after commissioning.

U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy. Third Fleet constantly coordinates with U.S. 7th Fleet to plan and execute missions based on their complementary strengths to promote ongoing peace, security, and stability throughout the entire Pacific theater of operations.

For more information please visit the ship’s website:
http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/cg57/Pages/default.aspx or
http://www.facebook.com/UssLakeChamplain/

For more information about Wayne E. Meyer, please visit the ship’s website at:
http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg108/Pages/default.aspx
Or visit Wayne E. Meyer’s Facebook Page at:
https://www.facebook.com/FatherofAegis/

-USN-

• Date Taken: 06.14.2017
• Date Posted: 06.14.2017 20:36
• Story ID: 237904
• Location: PACIFIC OCEAN