THE WATCH STAFF
A U.S. Navy warship has visited the Bahamas for the first time since the onset of the COVD-19 pandemic.
The Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Porter’s scheduled stop in Nassau April 3-7, 2022, was hailed as a “wonderful illustration” of the partnership between the countries by Chargé d’Affaires Usha Pitts of the U.S. Embassy.
“We have to remember that some country will patrol the ocean, will make a show of force and will hold other countries accountable for their behavior. I thank God it is the U.S. doing it and that we have the tools, like USS Porter, and the personnel, like the Sailors on this ship, doing it,” Pitts said during a reception April 3 aboard the Porter that she co-hosted with Cmdr. Christopher Petro, according to a U.S. Navy news release.
(Charge d’Affaires Usha Pitts, second from right, of the U.S. Embassy in Nassau tours the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter.)
U.S. Northern Command’s area of responsibility includes the Bahamas, which is 50 miles off the Florida coast and has been called part of the Caribbean third border of the U.S. The Porter’s visit helped to strengthen the bilateral defense partnership between the maritime neighbors, the news release said.
The Porter recently completed operations in the North Sea and a task-force exercise certification off the U.S. coast. “As a forward deployed Naval Forces-Europe ship, it is an incredible opportunity for the Porter crew to cross the Atlantic and enjoy the beautiful Bahamas,” said Petro, the Porter’s commanding officer.
Bahamas Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe spoke at the reception about the special relationship between the Caribbean nation and the U.S.
“We talk about friends, but I’d like to think that the United States and the Bahamas are really in a relationship where you are our big brother,” Munroe said, according to the news release. “Next year we will celebrate 50 years of independence, and you celebrate 246 years of independence. That makes you quite a bit older than us. We accept you as our big brother and, standing on a vessel like this … it’s kind of good to have a big brother like you.”
While in the Bahamas, the Porter’s Sailors volunteered with the Bahamas Red Cross Society, helping with the Community Resilience and Food Security Pilot Program. Sailors also worked on garden beds and planted vegetable seeds that will support a food program serving more than 125 Bahamians daily.
(USS Porter Sailors Jandavy Eseque, left, and Heather Wessel plant vegetables for the Community Resilience and Food Security Pilot Program at the Bahamas Red Cross.)
The Porter, deployed to Rota, Spain, is operating in the U.S. 2nd Fleet area of operations. It is one of four Navy destroyers based in Rota in support of NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense architecture, according to the Navy news release.
Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe ships have the flexibility to operate throughout the waters of Europe and Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle, demonstrating their mastery of the maritime domain, according to the Navy.
IMAGE CREDITS: PETTY OFFICER 1ST CLASS ERIC COFFER/U.S. NAVY