Global Fleet Station News

Civil service mariners from Military Sealift Command rescue and salvage ship USNS Grasp completed three days and more than 445 man-hours of improvement projects at the for the Deaf and for the Blind Unit in yesterday. Grasp arrived in Antigua July 4 as part of a four-month international outreach mission to the . While the ship’s embarked team of 15 Navy divers conducted tailored training and security operations with military divers from , and , Grasp’s civil service mariners sought out an opportunity to do a goodwill project ashore. The 60-year-old, 3,400 square foot school is attended by 18 deaf and three blind children. Over the course of July 15-17…

High Speed Vessel 2 Swift arrived in Tema, March 30 for its second visit here, as well as its seventh engagement visit as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS). Swift will host a group of 40 Ghanaian fisheries observers in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service, who will be leading a training workshop. Fisheries observers embark industrial fishing vessels off of the coast of Ghana and collect information about the fish being caught, as well as interactions between fishing activities and mammals, sea turtles and sea birds. However, the impact of observer activities affects more than just fisheries management…

The high-speed vessel (HSV 2) Swift is moored pier-side at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek before departing for the western coast of Africa. While in Africa, Swift will take part in the Global Fleet Station (GFS), Africa Partnership Station (APS) Initiative, for the purpose of strengthening cooperative partnerships with regional maritime security. U.S. Africa Partnership Station (APS) pulled into Lome, aboard High Speed Vessel (HSV) 2 Swift Jan. 28, as the first U.S. Navy ship to visit Togo in 15 years.

The high-speed vessel (HSV 2) Swift is moored pier-side at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek before departing for the western coast of Africa. While in Africa, Swift will take part in the Global Fleet Station (GFS), Africa Partnership Station (APS) Initiative, for the purpose of strengthening cooperative partnerships with regional maritime security. U.S. Sailors aboard High Speed Vessel (HSV) 2 Swift repaired a Pilot Research Moored Array in the Atlantic (PIRATA) buoy, Jan. 25…

The USS Fort McHenry arrived off the coast of West Africa in November to lead an international team of experts that will train African sailors to confront the daily challenges of illegal fishing, piracy, drug trafficking and oil smuggling. The amphibious ship is the centerpiece of the new Africa Partnership Station (APS) initiative. During its seven-month deployment, it will serve as a floating platform in the strategically important Gulf of Guinea, where it will promote regional maritime safety and security. The West Africa program is modeled on a successfully completed Global Fleet Station mission in the Caribbean that helped promote port security and stronger borders in Belize, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Panama.

U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard training teams concluded the first visit to Colon, Panama, during the pilot Global Fleet Station (GFS) on May 11 aboard High Speed Vessel (HSV 2) Swift. Training teams from Navy Expeditionary Training Command in Little Creek, Va., along with U.S. Coast Guard training teams from International Training Division, based in Yorktown, Va., facilitated five training sessions in areas requested by the nation of Panama. These courses included a coxswain course, two sessions of the port security and vulnerability course, as well as two leadership seminars. “The past two weeks in Panama have been very productive,” said Capt. Douglas Wied, commander, Task Group (TG) 40.9.

U.S. Navy and Coast Guard training teams began their portion of the pilot Global Fleet Station (GFS) on May 1, aboard High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2), while in port here. Global Fleet Station is designed to validate the GFS concept for the Navy and support U.S. Southern Command objectives for its area of responsibility by enhancing cooperative partnerships with regional maritime services and improving operational readiness for the participating partner nations. Training teams from Navy Expeditionary Combat Command and Expeditionary Training Command in Little Creek, Va., along with U.S. Coast Guard training teams from International Training Division, based in Yorktown, Va., are facilitating three training sessions requested by the nation of Panama.

High Speed Vessel (HSV) 2 Swift, along with Commander Task Group 40.9, is deploying as part of the Global Fleet Station (GFS) pilot to the Caribbean Basin and Central America. This deployment is designed to analyze the GFS concept for the Navy, by enhancing cooperative partnerships with regional maritime services and improving operational readiness for the participating partner nations. U.S. The pilot Global Fleet Station (GFS) deployment began April 25, with the departure of High Speed Vessel (HSV) 2 Swift and the embarked Task Group (TG) 40.9, from Naval Station Mayport. “After much anticipation and preparation it feels great to get underway,” said Capt. Douglas Wied, commander Task Group 40.9. Global Fleet Station pilot 2007 is a U.S.

U.S. Navy High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) enters Naval Station Mayport. Swift has two water jets that can move the ship to speeds greater than 45 knots and bring it into port without using tugboats. Swift pulled into Naval Station Mayport to prepare for its participation in the pilot program Global Fleet Station (GFS). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Patrick J. By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Cynthia Clark, Commander, U.S. Global Fleet Station (GFS) pilot deployment to the Caribbean is one step closer to starting, with the arrival of High Speed Vessel (HSV) 2 Swift at Naval Station Mayport, April 6. GFS pilot 2007 is a U.S. Southern Command-directed operation implemented by U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and carried out by HSV-2 SWIFT.