The U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) returned to Gaeta, Italy, after completing a month long underway period in the Atlantic Ocean, Nov. 13.


Quotes:

"It's good to be back in homeport to recharge and reset after a successful month of at sea. The crew did an outstanding job transitioning instantaneously from the shipyard to full-scale operations while completing basic phase certifications. That feat can only be accomplished by a solid group of true professionals, and they did it with great enthusiasm and pride."

-Lt. Cmdr. Chris De Leon, executive officer, USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20)


Quick Facts:

Mount Whitney completed port visits to Glenmallan, Scotland, and Lisbon, Portugal.

The 6th Fleet flagship embarked staff in both ports, and participated in several exercises, including Trident Juncture.

While in Lisbon, Sailors had the opportunity to participate in community engagement projects and give tours of Mount Whitney.

Mount Whitney hosted a reception as a special "thank you" to the city of Lisbon. The guests of honor included U.S. Ambassador to Portugal Mr. Robert Sherman and Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Vice Adm. James G. Foggo III.

In Scotland, Deputy Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Rear Adm. Daryl Caudle hosted U.S Ambassador to The Netherlands Mr. Timothy Broas; National Armaments Director, Royal Netherlands Navy Vice Adm. Matthieu Borsboom; and several other high ranking military and foreign officials.

Mount Whitney, forward-deployed to Gaeta, Italy, operates with a combined crew of U.S. Navy Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners. The civil service mariners perform navigation, deck, engineering and supply service operations, while military personnel support communications, weapons systems and security. It is one of only two seaborne Joint Command Platforms in the U.S. Navy, both of which are forward deployed.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, visit http://www.navy.mil/.