USS Porter Works With Georgian, Turkish Navies

Navy NewsStand ^ | Journalist 1st Class Eric Brown

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USS PORTER, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Porter (DDG 78) departed the Black Sea country of Georgia April 10, after being at anchor outside the city of Poti for four days.

Within hours, Porter was at work strengthening enduring and emerging partnerships not only with the Georgian navy, but also the Turkish navy.

"I think it's the first time we have done a trilateral exercise underway with the Georgian, Turkish and U.S. Navies," noted Commander, Task Force 67 Capt. Bob Lally, who assumed tactical control of the guided-missile destroyer before it entered the Black Sea, April 4. "Cooperative training helps build partnerships and fosters greater trust while demonstrating our commitment to the region."

Engagements between the three navies that day included division tactics, communications exercises, anti-submarine warfare exercises and a small arms live-fire opportunity.

While at anchor near the Georgian harbor, Porter Sailors spent some time with their host nation counterparts, working on Visit, Board, Search and Seizure and damage control training.

Lally was thrilled to be able to work with the Georgian navy at sea, even if it was for just a few hours.

"Our engagements with the Georgians have been going well," he said. "In the short time that we have been working together, they have achieved new levels of seamanship and professionalism."

The highlight of the day was in the early afternoon, when Porter and Turkish frigate TCG Turgutreis (F 241) engaged in small arms live fire on an international orange balloon target, better known as a "killer tomato."

"We use it for proficiency, to simulate a small boat attack," explained Gunner's Mate 1st Class Joe McLendon, Porter's combat systems' leading petty officer. "It's the best simulator tool that we have for shooting exercises."

Gunner's mates aboard Porter inflated the 14-by-16 ft. plastic pyramid before throwing it off the flight deck into the sea below. With the Turkish ship trailing behind the American destroyer, the pair took turns shooting as they made passes at the target from about 75-100 yards away.

"We used two .50 caliber machine guns and two M-60 machine guns, and shot from the port and starboard sides of the forecastle," McLendon said, but he wasn't sure what kinds of weaponry the Turks were firing. "It was loud and fast. It sounded to me like a 25-mm chain gun."

The activity, intended to last two hours, ended in minutes, when the bullet-riddled target deflated and sank beneath the ocean waves.

This small arms live-fire engagement was an excellent way to further develop the enduring ties between the Turkish and American navies.

"Anytime you have a firing exercise, it's a dangerous evolution, and for these we had two ships involved," McLendon elaborated. "They are trusting us and we are trusting them to be able to go and have one ship shooting while the other ship watches, and then that ship shoots. There's a lot of trust between the two navies and the two ships."

Hailing from Norfolk, Va., the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Porter has been on deployment since late November. The 507-foot-long ship weighs almost 9,000 tons, and can exceed speeds of 30 knots. About 315 crew members serve aboard the ship that was commissioned in March of 1999, and can conduct air, surface and subsurface operations simultaneously.

For related news, visit the COMUSNAVEUR/COMSIXTHFLT Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/naveur/.

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Souda Bay, Crete, Greece (April 1, 2006) - The guided missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) arrives for a routine port visit. Porter is the 28th ship in the Arleigh Burke-class of AEGIS destroyers. Porter is homeported in Norfolk, Va., currently on a regularly scheduled six month deployment. U.S. Navy photo by Paul Farley (RELEASED)

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