US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) got underway from Naval Station Rota, Spain, on January 8, to start its sixth forward-deployed patrol in Africa and Europe.
Ross completed its previous four-month patrol in July 2017. The 2017 patrol saw the destroyer take part in a cruise missile strike against Shayrat airfield in western Syria on April 7.
Ross later continued with routine operations in the Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea after an Atlantic Ocean transit.
Towards the end of the deployment, Ross completed a rare “Blue Nose” naval line-crossing ceremony on July 2 by entering into the Arctic Circle. The blue nose ceremony marked the first time Ross had ever crossed this geographic line.
Commenting on the deployment ahead of them, USS Ross Command Master Chief Richard L. James Jr., said:
“After a challenging and productive in-port period, team Ross is excited to be back on mission in the European Theater of Operations. As we begin our sixth FDNF patrol, we look forward to building relations with our NATO allies and performing any national tasking assigned to us.”