U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) departed Glenmallan, Scotland for a scheduled embarkation and underway, Oct. 19.

The Blue Ridge-class flagship conducted a brief port visit and embarked U.S. 6th Fleet and Maritime Theater Missile Defense (MTMD) Forum personnel.

Quotes:

Capt. Carlos Sardiello, speaking to the embarked exercise observers from the Maritime Theater Missile Defense Forum: "While at-sea, we also want you to have a chance to meet some of the brilliant young men and women, both in uniform and civilian mariners, that make Mount Whitney what it is: the finest flagship in the United States Navy. This hybrid crew of Sailors and CIVMARs have recently completed a nine-month maintenance period where they worked long days and nights preparing this ship to go to sea, while continuing to accomplish their pre-underway operational training. We are very proud of them."

- Capt. Carlos Sardiello, USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) commanding officer

Quick Facts:

Deputy Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, Rear Adm. Daryl Caudle, hosted delegates from seven MTMD Forum nations, as well as Denmark and Japan.

Glenmallan served as the first port visit for Mount Whitney since concluding an extensive nine-month maintenance period.

MTMD is a U.K.-hosted, U.S.-facilitated, multi-national demonstration of coalition integrated air and missile defense capability.

The 10 MTMD Forum member nations are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Mount Whitney, forward-deployed to Gaeta, Italy, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe.

Mount Whitney 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/.