Mount Whitney Arrives in Zeebrugge, Belgium for Navy Days

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Luis R. Chavez Jr., Nsvy Public Affairs Support Element-East Detachment Europe

ZEEBRUGGE, Belgium (NNS) -- The U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) arrived in Zeebrugge, Belgium, July 3 to participate in the Belgian Navy Days 2014.

Belgian Navy Days 2014 is a maritime festival similar to the U.S. Navy's Fleet Week. During Belgian Navy Days 2014 Mount Whitney will be hosting a reception, providing ship tours and participate in a rowing competition between navies from various nations.

"Mount Whitney primarily arrived to Zeebrugge for Belgian Navy Days," said Capt. Craig A. Clapperton, commanding officer of USS Mount Whitney. "The events during Belgian Navy Days allow us to strengthen our strategic relationship with the Belgian Navy and other participating navies both professionally and personally."

Sailors will be able to take in all Zeebrugge, and the neighboring city of Bruges, has to offer while their time in port, including many historical churches, town squares, museums and local delicacies such as Belgian chocolate.

"I'm very anxious to get off the ship and experience Belgium," said Ship's Serviceman 3rd Class Krista N. Singleton, assigned to USS Mount Whitney. "I've heard there's so many sites to see and places to visit and, of course, I have to get Belgian waffles and chocolate."

Mount Whitney, forward deployed to Gaeta, Italy, operates with a combined crew of U.S. Navy Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners. The civil service mariners perform navigation, deck, engineering and supply service operations, while military personnel support communications, weapons systems and security. It is one of only two seaborne Joint Command Platforms in the US Navy, both of which are forward deployed.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and inter-agency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.