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Farragut, Hue City Conducts Exercise with Italian Navy

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS120711-12
7/11/2012

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) A.J. Jones, USS Farragut Public Affairs

USS FARRAGUT, At Sea (NNS) -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) and guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66) conducted a series of maneuvers and interoperability drills in a passing exercise with an Italian frigate and submarine July 9-10.

The U.S. ships joined ITS Scire (S527) and ITS Luigi Durand de la Penne (D560) for two days of coalition training events to promote interoperability and partnership for the shared goal of maintaining safety and security of the region's sea lanes.

"I have been highly impressed with the professional interactions we've had with [ITS Luigi Durand de la Penne] as fellow mariners and comrades in arms," said Cmdr. Glen Quast, Farragut commanding officer. "Operations such as these are critical, because Italy and the United States often work together as part of a multinational force whose purpose is to maintain freedom of the seas and increase peace and prosperity. We proved that during these two days that we can seamlessly work together on a number of levels."

Many of the events stationed the Italian and American warships in close proximity of each other and required precision execution.

By keeping strong ship-to-ship communications and leveraging expert seamanship, the ships completed all training events safely and successfully.

On both days, all of the ships participating executed a number of navigational maneuvers, complemented by maritime warfare-specific events such as an anti-submarine warfare exercise and a maritime interdiction operations exercise.

On day two, Farragut's visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team boarded Luigi Durand de la Penne in an exercise where the latter presented itself as a merchant vessel potentially smuggling illicit cargo.

"The boarding of ITS Luigi Durand de la Penne was an excellent way to conclude our training with the Italian navy," said Lt. James Gensheimer, one of Farragut's boarding officers. "We share common goals and common values, and we will continue to operate with coalition and partner nations in support of ever greater maritime safety and security. One of the many missions we will accomplish during Farragut's deployment is promoting the free flow of commerce across the world's oceans, and today's training assisted us with meeting this objective."

Farragut is deployed as part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (CSG), supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. The Eisenhower CSG includes aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), CSG 8, guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66), guided-missile destroyers USS Farragut (DDG 99), USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109), as well as the seven squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 7 and Destroyer Squadron 28.