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Farragut Sailors Return to Mayport

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080719-07
Release Date: 7/19/2008 8:29:00 AM

By Lt. j. g. Jillian Danback, USS Farragut Public Affairs

MAYPORT, Fla. (NNS) -- Friends and family members of USS Farragut (DDG 99) gathered en masse July 15 to await the arrival of their loved ones for a two-week maintenance period.

Farragut Sailors began their deployment April 5. They have been participating in the Partnership of the Americas (POA) 2008 engagement with various South American countries.

Farragt returns to Mayport for a two-week maintenance period. This marks the mid-point of Farragut's six-month deployment.

"We are treating our return to Mayport as a working port," said Cmdr. Scott Dugan, Farragut's commanding officer. "The purpose of our return is to conduct maintenance which we otherwise could not accomplish while deployed in the [U.S. Southern Command] area of focus. There is much work to be done, but our Sailors are home and get to see their families after three months, something they're all excited to do."

During the short reprieve from operational commitments, Dugan noted that Farragut will use this maintenance period to shift their focus to the upcoming missions.

"Our two-week maintenance period will essentially allow us to be better prepared as a ship for the second half of our deployment. By attending to material issues now, we can more clearly participate in our future operational tasking."

POA 2008 consists of various multinational exercises and Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) missions throughout the Caribbean and South America in order to emphasize interoperability and cooperation between U.S. and partner nations' maritime forces.

Farragut is participating in POA with Destroyer Squadron 40, USS Kauffman (FFG 59) and Helicopter Anti-Submarine Light 42 Detachment 7, embarked on Kauffman.

For the second half of its deployment in support of POA 2008, Farragut will continue TSC events, conduct several major exercises with partner navies and engage in counter narcoterrorism missions throughout the Caribbean. At the conclusion of these missions in October, Farragut will return to Mayport for their official homecoming.

For more news from Destroyer Squadron 40, visit www.navy.mil/local/desron40/.