The USS Billings joined ships of the Dominion Republic Navy for exercises after a three-day port call in Santo Domingo, a U.S. Navy statement on Monday said.

The littoral combat ship, 378 feet long, conducted a passing exercise in the Caribbean Sea with two swiftships of the Armada de Republica Dominicana, the 110-foot patrol boat Canopus and the 37-foot whaler-class boat Nunki.

They practiced a series of tactical shipboard movements, formations and vectoring, as well as tested command and control capabilities.

Inter-fleet exercises between U.S. and allies ships are common, and are meant to facilitate interoperability and demonstrate a strategic partnership between countries.

The exercises followed a diplomatic reception aboard the ship, while in harbor in Santo Domingo, attended by Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader and other U.S. and Dominican Republic dignitaries.

Abinader praised the collaboration of the two countries' navies in regional maritime security and the fight against illegal drug trafficking.

"For this reason, I want to salute the efforts made in Caribbean waters by this USS Billings of the United States Navy, captained by Rear Admiral Donald D. Grabrielson, of the US 4th Naval Fleet," Abinader said in part.

The sailors aboard the USS Billings then received a three-day port call, the first liberty offered in the 4th Fleet area of operations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Bath Iron Works seeks assurances of more Naval destroyer orders
Washington DC (UPI) Jul 9, 2021
Shipyards could suffer if the U.S. Navy does not order additional Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was told this week. Hicks visited Bath Iron Works in Maine, a General Dynamics subsidiary founded in 1884 whose primary customer is the U.S. Navy, and the Naval Sea Systems Command's Portsmouth, N.H., Naval Shipyard, to discuss a decrease in orders for Navy destroyers, the Pentagon said on Friday. The trips were part of an assessment Hicks conducted th ... read more