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NORFOLK, Va. - After 200 days and over 38,000 miles sailed to the Far East and back, USS Mitscher, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, returns to its homeport of Norfolk, Va., Aug. 14.
Mitscher departed Norfolk Jan. 27 to be the only American ship in a Royal Navy Amphibious Task Group. In addition to providing direct support to the Task Group as the Air Defense Commander, Mitscher played a crucial role in bolstering international relations with several countries, including Turkey, the Netherlands, France, Australia, Brunei, Maldives, Singapore, and the Philippines.
Mitscher's deployment consisted of support to operation Active Endeavor in the Mediterranean Sea, counter piracy operations off the Horn of Africa, and direct support to ongoing Joint Special Operations Task Force operations in the Far East.
While sailing in the Mediterranean, Mitscher and the rest of the TAURUS 09 Task Group combined forces with the Turkish Navy for Exercise Egemen 09. The exercise encompassed amphibious landing strategy supported by surface and air warfare tactics. Shortly after, Mitscher completed 400 hours of anti-submarine warfare training with the TAURUS 09 Task Group during exercise Blue Toreador in the Indian Ocean.
As a mid-deployment stop, Mitscher pulled into the Changi Naval Base in Singapore on May 6 to take part in the International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference Asia 2009. IMDEX is a multinational exposition and top attraction for high-ranking officials from the international maritime arena. From May 12-14 the schedule consisted of exhibitions, receptions, exchanges, and opportunities to gain new perspectives on current maritime security issues. Mitscher along with USS Kidd represented the United States in the warship display, providing ship tours to several hundred foreign military officials and guests. The display consisted of 22 warships from 15 different countries.
While many Sailors took advantage of the liberty ports to go sightseeing and enjoy local tastes, several chose instead to lend their efforts to community relations projects and distribute materials on behalf of Project Handclasp.
In the Maldives, the Mitscher crew personally delivered several pallets of hygienic and medical supplies to the Maldivian National Defense Force Headquarters to be distributed to needy hospitals throughout the islands. During Mitscher's port visit to Phuket, Thailand, twenty-one Mitscher sailors dedicated their liberty to helping out the children of the Home and Life Orphanage. The sailors spent the day painting orphanage facilities and distributing donated goods from Project Handclasp to the kids.
The TAURUS 09 deployment enhanced interoperability and demonstrated the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy's commitment to stability and our mutual international partners across the Mediterranean, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Far East. Mitscher is the second Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer to complete a cooperative deployment of this type; USS Cole previously completed the ORION 2008 deployment.
The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, commanded by Cmdr. Sterling Dawley, is named after one of the most storied heroes of World War II, Admiral Marc Andrew Mitscher. The 505-foot-long ship has a crew of about 275.
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2009 16:43 |
| Story ID: | 37433 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, US |
| Web Views: | 434 |
| Downloads: | 337 |
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