• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Black Sea Partnership Cruise Launches Aboard USS Mount Whitney

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS081112-03
Release Date: 11/12/2008 6:21:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Holmes,
Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe - Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet Public Affairs

USS MOUNT WHITNEY, at sea (NNS) -- The multinational Black Sea Partnership Cruise (BSPC) commenced Nov. 10 aboard the U.S. Sixth Fleet flagship USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20) after the ship departed Varna, Bulgaria.

Representatives from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Ukraine came together aboard Mount Whitney for six days. The ship serves as the BSPC underway training platform.

"This week's cruise aboard Mount Whitney is the perfect setting for fostering relationships between maritime partners," said Commodore John W. Moore, Commander, Task Force 67, as he addressed BSPC participants. "I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to make new friends and to learn from each other, so you can share these valuable experiences back home."

The 2nd annual BSPC focuses on increasing interoperability and improving maritime safety and security among Black Sea nations by presenting practical, hands-on workshops and classes.

Workshops will include helicopter control operations, junior officer and noncommissioned officer development, interoperability discussions and an oil spill containment scenario.

Additional topics to be covered during the cruise are humanitarian assistance; maritime domain awareness; navigation; rules of engagement; law of the sea; piracy; counter narcotics; visit, board, search and seizure; and customs enforcement.

Mount Whitney, homeported in Gaeta, Italy, is on a regularly scheduled deployment to the Black Sea and has made stops in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine in the past 10 days. Community relations projects and staff talks were highlights of the recent engagements. U.S. Sixth Fleet assets routinely operate in the Black Sea to further develop partnerships, enhance interoperability, and promote regional maritime safety and security.

For more news from COMNAVEUR/COMSIXTHFLT , visit www.navy.mil/local/naveur/.