The U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) arrived in Zeebrugge, Belgium, July 3 to participate in the Belgian Navy Days 2014.
Belgian Navy Days 2014 is a maritime festival similar to the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Week. During Belgian Navy Days 2014 Mount Whitney will be hosting a reception, providing ship tours and participate in a rowing competition between navies from various nations.
“Mount Whitney primarily arrived to Zeebrugge for Belgian Navy Days,” said Capt. Craig A. Clapperton, commanding officer of USS Mount Whitney. “The events during Belgian Navy Days allow us to strengthen our strategic relationship with the Belgian Navy and other participating navies both professionally and personally.”
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 US Navy, both of which are forward deployed.
[mappress] Press Release, July 08, 2014; Image: msc.navy.mil