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Navy Delivers Aid to Haiti

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS110407-03
4/7/2011

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jeffery Tilghman Williams, High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) Public Affairs

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (NNS) -- The joint military and civilian crew aboard High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) delivered 286,000 pounds of food to Haiti in support of Southern Partnership Station (SPS) 2011, April 6.

The delivery, valued at nearly $1 million, was at the final port call in a 155-day deployment to nine Central and South American countries delivering humanitarian relief supplies and conducting subject matter expert exchanges with government and non-government organizations.

"This is one of the most rewarding aspects of this mission," said Cmdr. Mark Becker, SPS 2011 mission commander. "We get the chance to deliver food that will feed countless people."

"More than a year after the Earthquake, thanks to the unique capabilities of Swift, and the hard work of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay's Supply Department, we're able to help Catholic Relief Services help Haiti back on its feet," said Cmdr. Lewis Preddy, a U.S. Fourth Fleet representative who coordinated the delivery effort.

Haiti was also the first stop for SPS 11 last, Nov. 8 when Swift delivered a mobile medical care center and 39 pallets of water filtration units a few days after Tropical Storm Tomas hit the island nation.

"This is an ideal way to end a fantastic five-month mission in the region," said Becker. "We started our mission here with a humanitarian aid delivery, and we completed our mission here delivering aid."

During SPS 2011, more than 500,000 pounds of Project Handclasp and humanitarian aid donations, valued at more than $1.7 million, have been delivered to Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and Haiti. The donations have included water filtration systems, generators, wheel chairs, fire fighting equipment and computers.

SPS 11 is an annual deployment of U.S. ships to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in the Caribbean and Latin America. The mission's primary goal is information-sharing with navies, coast guards and civilian services throughout the region.

Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (COMUSNAVSO) is the naval component command for U.S. Southern Command and is responsible for all naval personnel and assets in the area of responsibility.

COMUSNAVSO conducts a variety of missions in support of the U.S. maritime strategy, including theater security cooperation, relationship building, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, community relations, and counter-illicit trafficking operations.