Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and U.K. fleet oiler RFA Wave Knight (A389) successfully executed the northernmost underway replenishment (UNREP) by a U.S. Navy warship since the 1980s, Aug. 25.

This success culminated a century's worth of progress and ingenuity; in May 1917, U.S. fleet oiler USS Maumee (AO-2), positioned 300 miles south of Greenland, completed what is considered the first underway replenishment. Leyte Gulf's crew found themselves nearly 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, accomplishing the same logistics operations that allow the U.S. Navy to conduct sustained operations at sea, around the globe.

By receiving not only shipboard fuel but aviation fuel for the two embarked MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopters assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 60, the crew proved, along with allies from the United Kingdom, the capability to continue operations unhindered in the North Atlantic.

Leyte Gulf departed its homeport of Norfolk, March 27, for a regularly-scheduled deployment that began with the mission to conduct maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.

Since deployment began, the ship has amassed more than 30 days of operations above the Arctic Circle, including a previous UNREP above the Arctic Circle in May with German fleet oiler FGS Bonn during Eastern Atlantic (EASTLANT) 17, an anti-submarine warfare exercise conducted with Germany and Norway.

While operating that far north has its challenges, it also presents unique opportunities most U.S. Navy surface warriors will never get, including the opportunity to enter into the "Order of the Blue Nose."

The ship left Norfolk with only five Blue Nose Sailors, but Leyte Gulf is nearing the end of its deployment having inducted more than 400 Sailors into the "Realm of the Arctic Circle." Only those who have crossed the Arctic Circle can say they are members of the Order of the Blue Nose. The Blue Nose ceremony is a longstanding tradition in the U.S. Navy, and similar celebrations have welcomed mariners across the world into this unique society for centuries.

Ship handling operations such as the UNREP are important as they strengthen the bonds between the U.S. and allies as both work toward mutual goals of peace and stability in the region. Being able to conduct those evolutions with allies and partners demonstrates the importance of the relationships in order for U.S. naval forces to be able to conduct sustained operations in an area as large as U.S. 6th Fleet.

"The importance of missions such as these demonstrates that our dedication to operating with our allies is more prevalent now than ever," said Capt. Daniel Sunvuld, commanding officer of Leyte Gulf. "Facing the dynamic world in which we operate, our Sailors find assurance in the fact that we can continue to push the bounds of our assumptions and demonstrate the ability to operate unimpeded, despite the natural challenges the climate and vast area of operations present."

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, security, and stability in Europe and Africa.

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