Turkish ship TCG TURGUTREIS (F 241) recently completed a routine port visit to Trieste, Italy, as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2).
However, her departure was much more than routine. As the ship slipped from the pier in Trieste on Monday, 16 February 2015, she celebrated a milestone in the ship’s history: her 1,000th sailing from port.
SNMG2 is currently led by Rear Adm. Brad Williamson (USA N), and is composed of the flagship USS VICKSBURG (CG 69), HMCS FREDERICTON (FFH 337), TCG TURGUTREIS (F 241), FGS SPESSART (A 1442), ITS ALISEO (F 574), ESPS PATINO (A 14), ESPS CANARIAS (F 86) and HS KOUNTOURIOTIS (F 462).
Sailors aboard TURGUTREIS marked the occasion by taking a photo of the entire ship’s crew on the flight deck and hosting a banner declaring the 1,000th sailing, which the ship will display until the next port. TURGUTREIS is also flying signal flags on the mast which spell out “Sail, 1,000.”
TURGUTREIS, manned by a crew of nearly 200, is a multipurpose frigate, equipped to engage in multiple maritime warfare areas either as part of a force, or as a singular unit.
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Image: MARCOM