Mount Whitney Departs Lisbon

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael Wright, USS Mount Whitney Public Affairs

LISBON, Portugal (NNS) -- The U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) departed Lisbon, Portugal, Nov. 9, 2015, following a six day scheduled port visit.

Quotes:

"While the USS Mount Whitney possesses an unmatched at-sea Command and Control capability, none of this is possible without the young Sailors and civilian mariners who operate it. We are proud of what they do." - Capt. Carlos Sardiello, USS Mount Whitney commanding officer

"I was really proud how my Sailors performed during this liberty port. The overall participation in all three of our community outreach projects was through the roof. That type of performance allows us to show our host nation that we do care about contributing to their communities, and that the United States Navy is all about cultivating friendship and peace globally." - Chief Information Systems Technician Christopher Box.

Quick Facts:

During the port visit the Mount Whitney hosted a reception as special thank you to the city of Lisbon. The guests of honor included U.S. Ambassador to Portugal Robert Sherman and Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, Vice Adm. James Foggo III.

Sailors had the opportunity to participate in community engagement projects, give tours of Mount Whitney.

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 U.S. 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 interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.