The U.S. Coast Guard patrol boats USCGC Adak (WPB 1333) and USCGC Maui (WPB 1304) participated in a passing exercise (PASSEX) with the Hellenic Navy’s guided-missile frigate HS Hydra (F452) in the Persian Gulf, Feb. 25.
The exercise included advanced maneuvers and communication drills flexing the crews’ abilities to operate together in a dynamic environment, and test and refine combined command and control processes.
“The United States and Greece are committed to advancing maritime security in the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond,” said U.S. Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey R. Pyatt. “Today’s bilateral exercise is another example of our countries’ deepening military-to-military collaboration, which is at an all-time high and growing stronger each day. Together, we are furthering shared defense and security goals enshrined in our countries’ Strategic Dialogue and our updated Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement.”
Greece is a vital NATO ally, showing a commitment to regional peace and stability. Greece, the host of U.S. Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, is an enabler for U.S., Allied, and partner nation forces to operate and transit in and across critical sea lanes.
“This exercise was a great opportunity to work alongside our Greek partners to increase tactical proficiency and capabilities,” said Lt. Ben Williams, commanding officer of Maui. “As a crew we are always confident in our operational capabilities and working with the crew of Hydra validated our combined readiness.”
Exercises like this serve as a demonstration of the U.S. Navy’s continued commitment to strengthening coalition partnerships in the region.
Adak and Maui are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO) in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points.
HS Hydra
The HS Hydra recently represented Greece at NAVDEX 21 held in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Specifications
The Hydra class are a group of four frigates in service with the Hellenic Navy. They were designed in Germany and are part of the MEKO group of modular warships, in this case the MEKO 200 design.
| Displacement: | 3,360 tons standard4,000 tons full load |
| Length: | 117.5 m (385 ft 6 in) |
| Beam: | 14.8 m (48 ft 7 in) |
| Draught: | 6.0 m (19 ft 8 in) |
| Armament: | 1× Mk 45 Mod 2A 5″ gun, 2× Mk15 Phalanx 20 mm CIWS, 2×2 Harpoon missile launchers, Mk 48 Mod 2 vertical launcher for 16× RIM-162 ESSM, 2 Mk32 Mod 5 2×324mm T/T for Mk46 torpedoes |
U.S. 5th Fleet
The U.S. 5th Fleet AOO encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse is comprised of 20 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.
