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Port of Call: Rota, Spain

Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group Visits Rota, Spain

BY 

DANIELSCHUMACHER

 – OCTOBER 19, 2015POSTED IN: EUROPE, NEWS – EUROPE

ROTA, Spain – The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (KSGARG) flagship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) pulled into Rota, Spain, for fuel and other supplies Oct. 18, 2015.

The Kearsarge ARG/MEU team, comprised of the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), the amphibious dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), the amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24), and embarked Marines from the 26th MEU, deployed from Norfolk, Va. Oct. 6, 2015.

Continue reading for quick facts and additional links…

151018-N-KW492-008 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 18, 2015) The amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) sits pierside at Naval Station Rota, Spain, Oct. 18, 2015. Kearsarge, deployed as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Theodore Green/Released)

151018-N-KW492-008 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 18, 2015) The amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) sits pierside at Naval Station Rota, Spain, Oct. 18, 2015. Kearsarge, deployed as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Theodore Green/Released)

Quote:

“Our main purpose in Rota is for Kearsarge to conduct a “Brief Stop for Fuel”, but we’ll also pick up some parts and mail while in Rota and transfer some personnel to and from the ship. Sailors and Marines onboard will get a little off-duty time to explore Naval Base Rota and gather some personal items, as well.”

– Lt. Johnny Stevenson, Main Propulsion Assistant, USS Kearsarge (LHD 3)

Quick Facts:

  • Kearsarge will take on 500,000 gallons of fuel.
  • Kearsarge will take on food, general stores, and requisitions.
  • While in U.S. 6th Fleet, the Kearsarge ARG and Marines of the 26th MEU will participate in theater security cooperation events and exercises before continuing to 5th Fleet.
  • This is the maiden deployment for the USS Arlington which was commissioned on April 6, 2013. Amphibious transport dock ships embark, transport, and land elements of a landing force for a variety of expeditionary warfare missions.
  • The Amphibious Ready Group consists of:
    • Amphibious Assault Ship (LHA or LHD) – Primary landing ships, resembling small aircraft carriers, designed to put troops on hostile shores. In a secondary role, these ships perform sea control and limited power projection missions with AV-8B Harrier aircraft and anti-submarine warfare helicopters.
    • Amphibious Transport Dock (LPD) Ships – Ships that embark, transport, and land elements of a landing force for a variety of expeditionary warfare missions.
    • Dock Landing Ships (LSD) – Dock Landing Ships support amphibious operations including landings onto hostile shores via conventional landing craft and helicopters.
  • Modern U.S. Navy Amphibious Assault Ships project power and maintain presence by serving as the cornerstone of the Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG) / Expeditionary Strike Group.
  • The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel. The MEU consists of four major parts: a command element, a ground combat element, an aviation combat element, and a logistics element. Marine Expeditionary Unit missions range from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to major theater war.
  • U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.
151018-N-AX638-032 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 18, 2015) Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Luis Romo, from Santa Monica, California, and Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Kelsey McClean, from Evansville, Indiana, handle a messenger line on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) as it pulls into Naval Station Rota, Spain, Oct. 18, 2015. Kearsarge, deployed as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Seaman Tyler Preston/Released)

151018-N-AX638-032 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 18, 2015) Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Luis Romo, from Santa Monica, California, and Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Kelsey McClean, from Evansville, Indiana, handle a messenger line on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) as it pulls into Naval Station Rota, Spain, Oct. 18, 2015. Kearsarge, deployed as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Seaman Tyler Preston/Released)

151018-N-DP001-037 ROTA, Spain (Oct. 18, 2015) Sailors and Marines bring supplies aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) at Naval Station Rota, Spain, Oct. 18, 2015. Kearsarge, deployed as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Theodore Green/Released)

151018-N-DP001-037 ROTA, Spain (Oct. 18, 2015) Sailors and Marines bring supplies aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) at Naval Station Rota, Spain, Oct. 18, 2015. Kearsarge, deployed as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Theodore Green/Released)

151018-N-DP001-059 ROTA, Spain (Oct. 18, 2015) The amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) sits pierside at Naval Station Rota, Spain, Oct. 18, 2015. Kearsarge, deployed as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Theodore Green/Released)

151018-N-DP001-059 ROTA, Spain (Oct. 18, 2015) The amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) sits pierside at Naval Station Rota, Spain, Oct. 18, 2015. Kearsarge, deployed as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Theodore Green/Released)

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