Guided-Missile Cruiser Transits Strait of Gibraltar

The guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68) safely transited through the Strait of Gibraltar to enter into the 6th Fleet area of responsibility, May 21.

The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow transit which separates Europe and Africa by only seven miles at its most narrow point, connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. It is also a very busy route with a significant amount of commercial traffic.

“The hardest part about the transit for this ship is the traffic,” Quartermaster 1st Class (SW) Jussusam Cardoso, the ship’s assistant navigator, said. “The navigation team assists in tracking the other vessels and will make recommendations to the conning officer and officer of the deck for a course change.”

The transit takes a significant amount of support from the bridge team, security forces, helmsman, and to the Sailors that monitor radio and satellite activity and down in the engineering plants.

“The Anzio team executed the transit well,” Capt. John M. Dorey, Anzio’s commanding officer, said. “Every member from the bridge team, lookouts, the combat information center team and weapons crew knew what we had to get done and were on top of their game.”

Anzio is underway as part of the George H.W. Bush Strike Group. The Strike Group is made up of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22 staff, guided-missile cruisers USS Gettysburg (CG 64) and USS Anzio (CG 68), and guided-missile destroyers USS Truxtun (DDG 103) and USS Mitscher (DDG 57).

Brian M. Brooks (navy)
[mappress]
Source: navy, May 24, 2011;