Decatur Returns from Western Pacific Deployment
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS060707-02
Release Date: 7/7/2006 8:08:00 AM
From USS Decatur Public Affairs
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73) returned home July 6 from its 183 day deployment in support of maritime security operations.
Decatur left her homeport of San Diego Jan. 4 as part of the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Carrier Strike Group.
Decatur visited Port Klang, the port city of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. While in port, the ship hosted several tours, including members of the Malaysian armed forces and dozens of journalists. The crew participated in a community service project involving the renovation of the Ozanam Homes for underprivileged boys and girls. Decatur’s mess decks proudly display the artwork created by the children in appreciation of the kindness demonstrated by the Sailors.
After leaving Malaysia, the ship crossed across the Indian Ocean to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. After passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Decatur pulled into Bahrain for a brief upkeep period. While there, 20 Sailors volunteered to support the Cherry Tree Trot, a biennial American Women’s Association charity event.
From Bahrain, Decatur traveled south to the waters off the coast of the Horn of Africa, where the ship participated in coalition maritime security operations (MSO).
“Maritime security operations help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations,” explained Cmdr. John Steinberger, Decatur’s commanding officer. “These operations deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material. The coalition aspect of our mission was especially vital as it is a key component of the Chief of Naval Operation’s ‘Thousand Ship Navy.’”
Decatur visited Muscat, Oman, where the ship hosted a reception attended by numerous coalition partners who were also inport.
During routine operations off the Horn of Africa, Decatur rescued seven Somali mariners. The Somali shark fishermen had been underway off the coast of Somalia when their engine failed. On their twelfth day adrift, Decatur discovered the skiff 83 nautical miles from land and learned that the mariners had long since exhausted their supplies of food and water. The Somalis were provided showers, restroom facilities, fresh clothes and medical treatment. The next morning, Decatur transferred them to a vessel bound for Mogadishu, Somalia.
In a demonstration of support for Operation Enduring Freedom and the United States’ coalition partners, Decatur was assigned to the French-led Coalition Task Force (CTF) 473 in the North Arabian Sea for the month of May. Led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle (CVNM 91), CTF 473 operated in the Arabian Sea south of Pakistan, maintaining the security of those waters while providing aircraft to Operation Enduring Freedom. Using its advanced communications abilities, Decatur’s support of CTF 473 ensured reliable, successful and secure communication between the French forces and the aircraft they flew over Afghanistan.
At the end of May, Decatur departed the 5th Fleet area of operations and began her 10,000-mile transit back home.
Decatur anchored off Phuket, Thailand, from June 2-5. Decatur’s Sailors transformed a discolored classroom with cheerful light blue paint at Life Home Project, an organization that provides a nurturing environment for HIV positive women and their children. Sailors also brought with them numerous supplies as part of Project Handclasp, including shampoo, soap, band-aids and other basic hygiene products. Patong Child Care Center, assisting neglected and abused children, was another facility that benefited from these supplies.
Decatur visited Hong Kong June 10-13 where the American Club of Hong Kong welcomed the Sailors of all four ships in the Ronald Reagan Strike Group with a magnificent outdoor barbecue. In addition, 10 Sailors ate dinner with local families in a program known as “Meals in the Home.”
Decatur participated in exercise Valiant Shield off the coast of Guam from June 19-23. Sponsored by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it exercised the U.S. military’s ability to rapidly bring together joint forces in response to any regional crisis, demonstrated ready power to preserve peace and economic stability in the region, and assured regional allies of U.S. commitment to treaty obligations and security arrangements.
Combining assets from four services, Valiant Shield 2006 included a Carrier Strike Force comprised of three Carrier Strike Groups, including 13 combatants and support ships and four submarines, as well as Air Force, Marine and Coast Guard assets.
Decatur provided air, surface and undersea warfare defense in direct support of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN) 72 Strike Group. In particular, Decatur, the Pacific Fleet’s premier undersea warfare platform, was actively involved in the prosecution of multiple submarines.
Decatur’s deployment was capped with a one-day stopover in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to pick up Tigers. Decatur’s 45 Tigers, a term describing the friends and family members of the crew, enjoyed a week at sea, riding the ship for the 2000-mile journey home to San Diego and experiencing daily life aboard a modern Navy destroyer.
For related news, visit the Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cnsp/.
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