HMS Monmouth Sailors Visit USS John C. Stennis within PASSEX

Several guests from the Royal Navy frigate HMS Monmouth visited the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) Jan 15. Royal Navy Cmdr. Gordon Ruddock, Monmouth’s commanding officer, and 15 Monmouth sailors met with Rear Adm. Mike Shoemaker, commander of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3, Stennis’ commanding officer, Capt. Ron Reis, and Capt. John Beaver, commander of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21.

 “As the Royal Navy moves toward the rebirth of its fixed-wing carrier operations, it has been an invaluable education today,” said Ruddock. “My team and I have had our eyes opened to the complexities of what we are about to generate.”

During their visit, the British sailors observed flight operations from the flag bridge and toured several spaces throughout the ship including the flight deck, hangar bay, jet shop, and the carrier air traffic control center.

 “I have never seen anything like this ship before,” said Royal Navy Able Seaman Communications Specialist Sordan Bate. “It was very interesting to see flight operations and the way everyone was always busy.”

“[This visit] reaffirms the strongest relationship between two navies, the British Royal Navy and the United States Navy,” said Beaver.

The visit was part of a passing exercise (PASSEX) to improve interoperability between the two navies.

 The John C. Stennis CSG, consisting of Stennis, Carrier Air Wing 9, DESRON 21, and guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) are forward deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility to strengthen regional partnerships, sustain maritime security, and support combatant commander requirements for assets in the area.

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Naval Today Staff, January 22, 2013; Image: Royal Navy