LCS Crew 101 took over U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) from LCS Crew 102 during a rotational deployment to the Asia-Pacific at the Changi Naval Base in Singapore on November 7.
The turnover marks the end of a deployment for Crew 102, which frequently worked with other navies in South and Southeast Asia through a variety of exercises and joint patrols.
Crew 102 wrapped up its first-ever participation in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Philippines June 26, at Naval Station Apolinario Jalandoon, Puerto Princesa, Republic of the Philippines. The crew visited Surabaya during CARAT Indonesia for the first time in her 16-month rotational deployment to 7th Fleet.
CARAT Malaysia 2015 consisted of five days of shore-based and at sea training events designed to address shared maritime security concerns, build relationships and enhance interoperability among participating forces. The Royal Malaysian Navy for the first time conducted deck landing practice with its Super Lynx helicopter on Fort Worth’s flight deck.
Fort Worth also participated in its first CARAT exercise with the Bangladesh Navy in the Bay of Bengal Oct. 3, and was the first LCS to participate in Exercise Malabar 2015. Malabar was a trilateral training exercise between the Indian Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Navy.
Crew 101 comes aboard with about 100 Sailors, which includes Sailors from HSM-35, Detachment 1 and SUW Mission Package, Detachment 6. Shortly after crew swap, Fort Worth, manned by Crew 101, will begin Initial Ship Aviation Team Training (ISATT) and then head out for the crew’s first scheduled exercise, CARAT Cambodia.
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Image: US Navy