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USS The Sullivans Gains from Sharing with Russian Navy

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS040928-12
Release Date: 9/28/2004 10:14:00 PM

By Lt. j.g. Joshua Wolf, Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

VALLETTA, Malta (NNS) -- Sailors from USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) took advantage of the opportunity to visit their Russian counterparts aboard a Russian warship during a shared port visit to Valletta, Malta, Sept. 21.

The Sullivans, USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201), the Russian Cruiser Moskva (CEHM 121), the Russian Destroyer Smetlivy, and the British Frigate HMS St. Albans (F 83) all pulled into Valletta to help celebrate Malta's Independence Day.

While there, The Sullivans and Moskva were at adjacent ends of the same pier, and officers of both crews organized a pierside crew exchange.

Lt. j.g. Derek Smith was among the crew members to visit Moskva and did not miss the significance of the exchange.

"It was inspiring," said Smith. "They commissioned their cruiser at the height of the Cold War, and designed it to combat American forces. Being able to take a tour of the ship now, as friendly countries, was incredible. I felt very fortunate to be a part of this small piece of history. I especially enjoyed being able to share questions and answers with my Russian counterparts."

As they worked their way through the necessary translations, the Russian sailors' sense of camaraderie stood out above all. But one surprising comment highlighted the similarities with U.S. Sailors. When asked of their favorite port, all the Russian sailors present replied in unison, "home."

While crew members from The Sullivans were enjoying their tour of Moskva, the staff operations officer of the Black Sea Fleet and four other Russian officers from Moskva took the same opportunity to tour The Sullivans.

The Sullivans' Operations Officer, Lt. William Snyder, gave the Russian officers the tour.

"The entire experience was remarkable," said Snyder. "They were all very curious on how the day-to-day operations of our Navy work. Things like our system of promotion and how we plan meals for the ship's underway were some of the questions that their sailors were curious about."

Cmdr. Richard Brown, commanding officer of The Sullivans, and Lt. Cmdr. Wyatt Chidester, executive officer, hosted their guests with refreshments and food in the wardroom, where both parties exchanged gifts and mementos. The most surprising gesture of the day was when one of the Russian sailors took off his watch, embroidered with their ships crest, and presented it to Chidester as a token of his appreciation for setting up the crew exchange.