The U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, Nov. 1, for a scheduled port visit and embarkation of Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO personnel.

Quotes:

"As an embarked Marine stationed in Lisbon but currently embarked on board the flagship, this underway period has been an amazing experience for me. Having been able to see civilians and Sailors working together as one team and still being able to operate with such high morale and professionalism, is truly [an] eye opening experience." - Sgt. Tiffany Giraldo, Strike Force NATO embark chief

"The Mount Whitney is a unique vessel because of its ability to embark and support two different types of staff personnel, all in the course of a week. Having the means to support NATO personnel and successfully transitioning back to U.S. 6th Fleet requirements, makes the Mount Whitney one of the most sophisticated and technologically advanced ships in our naval fleet." - Lt. Peter Downes, USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) operations officer


Quick Facts:

While in Portugal, the Mount Whitney crew will take the opportunity to host distinguished guests and city officials at a dinner reception scheduled to take place aboard the ship.

This port visit will also be a morale booster for its crew, as many Sailors look to take part various tours provided by the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) team.

After the crew wraps up their embarkation and port visit, Mount Whitney will get underway to continue operating forward in the 6th Fleet area of responsibility.

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 USS Mount Whitney, visit http://www.navy.mil/