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Mount Whitney Returns to Gaeta, Italy after Completing BALTOPS

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS140715-05
Release Date: 7/15/2014 12:16:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mike Wright, USS Mount Whitney Public Affairs

GAETA, Italy (NNS) -- The U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) arrived in Gaeta, Italy July 15, after completing Baltic Operations 2014 (BALTOPS) with its European counterparts.

BALTOPS is an annual, multinational exercise designed to enhance maritime capabilities, interoperability and support regional stability. This year's BALTOPS, the 42nd iteration of the exercise, saw the participation of naval forces from 14 countries including Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

'BALTOPS was an amazing exercise,' said Yeoman 2nd Class Roman Garcia. 'I think it was awesome to work with our European allies, it was great having the opportunity to learn from one another while creating a stronger global force of unified nations.'

The training objectives of the exercise included gunnery, replenishment-at-sea, anti-submarine warfare, radar tracking and interception, mine countermeasures, seamanship, search and rescue, maritime interdiction operations and scenarios dealing with potential real world crises and maritime security.

Mount Whitney's crew dedicated a significant amount of their time building stronger relationships with regional partners and allied nations with port visits to Sweden, Germany, and Belgium, ensuring the advancement, security and stability in Europe.

'I couldn't believe that we were actually involved in such a historically known exercise like this, said Information Systems Technician 1st Class Danny Suarez. 'Many of the local nationals that we met were very warm and welcoming. They really enjoyed our presence in their country,' said Suarez. 'I loved being a part of this mission. It was great!'

During Mount Whitney's extended underway period, Sailors had the opportunity to experience many different cultures, including festivals, foods, music, and dialects in Karlskrona, Sweden; Kiel, Germany; and Brugge, Belgium.

Mount Whitney, forward deployed to Gaeta, Italy, operates with a combined crew of U.S. Navy Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners. The civil service mariners perform navigation, deck, engineering and supply service operations, while military personnel support communications, weapons systems and security. It is one of only two seaborne joint command platforms in the U.S. Navy, both of which are forward deployed.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.