Chilean Frigate Joins Partnership of the Americas
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS070317-14
Release Date: 3/17/2007 11:52:00 AM
By Lt. Jennifer Moore, Commander, Destroyer Squadron 40
MAYPORT, Fla. (NNS) -- Chilean Navy frigate Almirante Latorre (FFG 14) arrived in Mayport on March 14 to prepare for their role in Partnership of the Americas (POA) 2007 as a part of the U.S. Navy Task Group participating in this deployment.
POA 2007 will focus on enhancing relationships with regional partner nations through a variety of exercises and events at sea and on shore throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The task group will be led by Commander, Destroyer Squadron (CDS) 40 and be composed of Latorre, USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52), USS Mitscher (DDG 57) and USS Samuel B Roberts (FFG 58).
Chief of the Chilean Naval Mission in Washington, D.C., Rear Adm. Felipe Carvajal Carvallo, CDS 40 Capt. Randy Snyder and USS Samuel B. Roberts’ Commanding Officer Cmdr. Marc Weeks, greeted Latorre and her crew as they arrived in Mayport.
Carvallo expressed that his visions are becoming a reality.
“We are achieving a goal we have been working towards. It began with the initial planning conference and now will culminate with the start of the operations," Carvallo said. "It has been nice to see the discussion and planning transform into a signed document and to have that plan set in motion. I envy the crew and the ship for being able to participate in these exercises.”
Homeported in Valparaiso, Chile, Latorre will deploy this spring with the other ships in the task group for POA 2007, which is a U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command deployment designed to support U.S. Southern Command’s engagement strategy in its area of responsibility.
During POA 2007, the ships will participate in several exercises as they sail around South America. Phase 1 of the deployment will consist of the Atlantic and Pacific phases of UNITAS, as well as Teamwork South.
Both series of exercises are designed to train participating navies in a variety of maritime scenarios, with each operating as a component of a multinational force to provide the maximum opportunity to improve interoperability.
Phase 2 will involve a variety of Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) events in the Caribbean and Central America. TSC encompasses military-to-military cooperation, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, combined training, exercises and operations, intelligence sharing and maritime security assistance within the region to achieve common goals.
Phase 3 will conclude the deployment with participation in PANAMAX 2007, which is an annual exercise designed to assist the government of Panama in protecting the sovereignty and security of the Panama Canal.
“Having Latorre as part of this upcoming deployment will be a very rewarding experience. I worked with the Chilean Navy in 2006 during exercises in the Pacific and the officers and men are truly professional mariners that bring great experience and a long tradition of multinational cooperation to the Partnership of Americas deployment,” stated Snyder.
Capt. Rodrigo Alvarez Aguirre, Latorre’s Commanding Officer, stated, “It has been a challenge and will continue to be. Over the next few months we will interchange many experiences. A friendship has been formed and will continue to grow. At the end, both of our Navies will know more about each other and I look forward to the opportunity to learn from one another.”
The officers and crew members of the Latorre departed Chile in late February and arrived in Mayport after completing a 4,000 mile voyage and transiting the Panama Canal to join Task Force 40. Latorre is a Jacob Van Heemskerck-class frigate, 130 meters in length and displacing 3,750 tons. She is equipped with Standard Missiles, NATO Sea Sparrow missiles, Goalkeeper Close in Weapon System, Harpoon missiles and MK 46 torpedoes. She has a wardroom of 24 officers and 160 crew members.
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