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U.S. Warships McClusky and Fletcher Return to San Diego

Navy Newsstand

Story Number: NNS040607-05

Release Date: 6/7/2004 12:55:00 PM

From Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The destroyer USS Fletcher (DD 992) and frigate USS McClusky (FFG 41) returned to Naval Base San Diego June 3 following their respective deployments in support of the global war on terrorism.

This marks the last deployment for the Spruance-class destroyer Fletcher, which is scheduled for decommissioning in October 2004, following just more than 400 days on station in the Pacific and in Southwest Asia as part of the Navy's Sea Swap initiative.

Sea Swap, an experimental initiative designed to increase naval forward presence, deploys a single ship to a theater of operations for 18 months. The ship makes the sea transit and once in theater, swaps crews at six-month intervals. Fletcher is one of four Spruance-class destroyers involved in the initiative. Fletcher's current crew followed the crews of USS Elliot (DD 967), USS Oldendorf (DD 972) and USS Kinkaid (DD 965).

Fletcher left its original homeport of Pearl Harbor Aug. 2, 2002, and returned to San Diego following a successful deployment, which included three Sea Swaps, Maritime Interception Operations (MIO) in the Persian Gulf, Operation Enduring Freedom MIO missions in the Horn of Africa, an unprecedented alongside mooring with a Seawolf-class submarine in the Seychelles, and 20 Tomahawk cruise missile launches in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

McClusky retuned to its homeport following a six-month deployment in support of Joint Inter-Agency Task Force in the eastern Pacific, which included counter-drug operations in the Caribbean, and Central and South America. McClusky conducted five successful drug seizures, preventing the trafficking of almost eight tons of narcotics by sea.

McClusky also conducted community relations and humanitarian assistance in Mexico, Ecuador, Jamaica and Panama.

McClusky demonstrated its flexibility when, in December 2003, it conducted a successful rescue at sea of the crew of motor vessels Andrea and San Luis. Supported by its embarked multi-mission helicopter detachment, Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 43, Det. 6, McClusky safely transferred 169 Ecuadorian migrants to Guatemala.