By Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet Public Affairs
NAPLES, Italy – Two U.S. Navy ships and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter are getting underway to transport humanitarian relief supplies to Georgia. These deployments are part of the larger United States response to the government of Georgia request for humanitarian assistance.
USS McFaul departed from Souda Bay, Crete Aug. 20, 2008 and the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dallas will leave later in the week. McFaul and Dallas are scheduled to transit into the Black Sea and arrive in Georgia within a week.
USS Mount Whitney is currently on-loading humanitarian relief materials in her homeport of Gaeta, Italy, and will proceed to Georgia later in August.
The ships will deliver thousands of blankets, hygiene kits, baby food and infant care supplies to save lives and alleviate human suffering.
These surface ships represent the first from the U.S. to participate in the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Georgia.
Both McFaul, based in Norfolk, Va., and Dallas, based in Charleston, S.C., are on regularly scheduled deployments in the Sixth Fleet area of responsibility.