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Bataan Visits Dutch Caribbean Island for Rest & Relaxation

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS050824-12
Release Date: 8/24/2005 5:00:00 PM

By Journalist Seaman Joanne De Vera, USS Bataan Public Affairs

CARIBBEAN SEA (NNS) -- USS Bataan (LHD 5) departed the southwestern Caribbean after wrapping up a successful liberty port visit in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, Aug. 19-21.

After her service as the flagship for PANAMAX 2005, the amphibious assault ship headed east and spent three days docked at the Dutch colony where locals welcomed Bataan Sailors and embarked guests with open arms.

“In a sense, it was like we were returning the greetings the Dutch ship gave us when she moored right next to us in Norfolk a few months ago,” said Capt. Nora Tyson, Bataan’s commanding officer. “The locals were friendly and they all showed us a good time.”

The mighty warship’s hangar bay and flight deck set the stage for the welcoming reception, held Aug. 20.

“The Consul Generals of the United States, Belgium, Chile and Dominican Republic were present at the reception, as well as the flag officer of Netherland Forces, Caribbean, who is in charge of the Dutch Coast Guard and Naval Forces in the Caribbean Sea,” said Tyson. “Those guests have a much better understanding and maybe even appreciation of who we (Sailors) are after visiting our ship.”

Bataan’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Department provided Sailors with an array of activities to choose from, with various events scheduled each day. MWR sold more than 300 tickets for all of their events.

The common theme among most of the MWR activities was water. There were fishing trips, beginning and qualified diving trips and snorkeling trips at discounted prices for Sailors to enjoy.

“The snorkeling trips had the most participants, which was expected, because our shipmates who’ve had a chance to visit Curacao before us said the island has some of the best snorkeling and diving spots in the Caribbean,” said Lt. Jason Howell, MWR officer.

MWR also set up tours to local attractions around the island. The Curacao/Hato Caves tour gave Sailors a closer look at the geological history of the island, as well as the cultural history. Curacao’s Seaquarium provided Sailors with the chance to swim with dolphins and other sea creatures. Jeep Safaris allowed Sailors to stray from the beaten tourist path as they drove a four-wheel drive Jeep around the island.

“Everyone definitely enjoyed their time off, and most people got their batteries recharged after a demanding PANAMAX exercise,” said Tyson. “When we have port visits, especially overseas, the benefits are huge for our Sailors. They get the chance to experience a different culture, people and places, which is why a lot of our Sailors join the Navy.”

Along with the MWR events, two community relations (COMREL) projects in Curacao allowed Bataan Sailors to help those less fortunate. A total of 75 Sailors manned two projects during the three-day port visit. The first project, “Bataan Extreme Makeover: Curacao Edition” and took place at the home of a local islander, Ilva Rosa, and her children. Sailors donated $2,000 in support of the “Makeover” project site and their time to repaint the interior and exterior of the house, construct furniture and provide house wares to Rosa and her children. At the other COMREL project of Radolphus College, Sailors painted the exterior of an entire gymnasium at the Catholic school.

“When we come into a foreign port, especially as short a stay as Curacao was, and that many people gave eight hours of their liberty for a good cause, that goes a long way,” said Tyson. “That shows the people of that community that we’re not just people who go to war, we help our fellow man.”

For some Sailors, Curacao paved the way for the first of possibly many foreign port visits. Information Systems Technician Seaman Akeisha Brown of Bataan’s C5I Department checked aboard Bataan November 2004 and has never traveled out of the United States.

“I had a lot of fun in Curacao,” she said. “I went snorkeling, SCUBA diving, kayaking, and just walked around and took in the culture. It’s extremely diverse and the atmosphere is really laid back."

Curacao is the first foreign port call Bataan has had since she visited Rota, Spain, after her participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The visit to the Dutch Antilles marked the southern-most point the Wasp-class ship will go before returning to her homeport of Norfolk, Va., in early September.