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Carr Builds Relationships in Costa Rica

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090505-08
Release Date: 5/5/2009 5:26:00 AM

By Ensign Tim Boston, USS Carr (FFG 52) Public Affairs

GOLFITO, Costa Rica (NNS) -- While deployed for U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, Norfolk Frigate, USS Carr (FFG 52) reached out to the local population and coast guard April 24 in support of Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) initiatives.

Carr visited Golfito, Costa Rica, a small town on the Pacific Coast of Central America in an effort to engage the local coast guard and community. Sailors donated items from Project Handclasp, assisted in repairs to Costa Rican Coast Guard vessels, and worked with cadets from the Coast Guard Academy.

Project Handclasp is a U.S. Navy program established in 1962 to collect and distribute donated humanitarian, educational, and goodwill materials using empty cargo space on Navy ships. Materials are distributed directly to needy recipients by U.S. service personnel.

"The donation of items had the greatest impact on the community and their perception of the U.S. Navy," said Lt. Mareo Ortiz, an instructor at the Coast Guard Academy.

Carr loaned its expertise to the Costa Rican Coast Guard vessel Pancha Carrasco, a former U.S. Coast Guard vessel, helping them repair the ship's fathometer and air conditioning system.

Carr Sailors played soccer, basketball, and traditional Costa Rican games with the Costa Rican Coast Guard in an effort build a relationship with the local sailors. Additionally, Carr Sailors repainted the harbor's navigational ranges lights and hosted a tour for the local police chief and his staff.

TSC activities promote relationships between the United States and nations around the region, enhance collaborative missions to combat illicit operations, and support mutual defense initiatives. TSC activities include a variety of events that build and strengthen communications and interoperability among regional nations.

Carr, homeported in Norfolk, is under the operational control of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet, and under the tactical control of Joint Interagency Task Force-South in support of Counter Illicit Trafficking operations in the Eastern Pacific.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/cusns/.