The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) conducted interoperability exercises with the Legend-class national security cutter USCGC Hamilton (WMSL 753) in the Aegean Sea, April 26, 2021, the U.S. Navy 6th Fleet announced.
Roosevelt executed Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) training, flight operations, and a photo exercise with Hamilton and its embarked MH-65D Dolphin helicopter.
“Today’s exercises with Hamilton provided excellent interoperability training to refine our skills with the Coast Guard,” said Cmdr. Ryan Kendall, Roosevelt’s commanding officer. “As stewards of national and homeland security, honing our maritime skills with the U.S. Coast Guard is an excellent opportunity to focus on increasing capacity and proves essential to mission accomplishment.”
After working with Roosevelt, Hamilton will continue proceeding to the Black Sea. She will be the first U.S. ship to enter the Black Sea since March 2021. Hamilton will be working with NATO Allies and partners in the region conducting maritime security training.
U.S. Navy vessels routinely collaborate with joint and allied forces to strengthen regional maritime security, combined readiness, and naval capability.
“Operating with Roosevelt shows how the Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy are a unified Naval Service committed to maintaining a rules-based international order in the maritime domain,” said Capt. Timothy Cronin, Hamilton’s commanding officer. “These joint operations improve our maritime security capabilities and enhance our readiness to conduct crucial peacetime missions.”
Roosevelt is one of four U.S. Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, and assigned to Commander, Task Force 65 in support of NATO’s Integrated Air Missile Defense architecture. These FDNF-E ships have the flexibility to operate throughout the waters of Europe and Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle, demonstrating their mastery of the maritime domain.