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 The
U.S. Navy’s supercarrier USS Nimitz,
one of the world’s largest warships, arrived at Busan Port on May
11. The 97,000 ton-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was here
to participate in joint South Korea-U.S. maritime exercises in waters
off Pohang for two days from May 13. The aircraft carrier left San
Diego on April 19 for a deployment to the 7th Fleet
and U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
The Nimitz Strike Group led by the USS Nimitz consists of guided-missile destroyers
USS Momsen and USS Preble and guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton.
The aircraft carrier can carry about 70 fighters and helicopters,
including F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters, on its deck. The U.S.
naval strike group will be joined by the 7,600 ton-class Aegis destroyer
Sejong the Great and the 5,500 ton-class destroyer Chungmugong Yi
Sun-shin from the South Korean naval fleet during the joint naval
drills.
“The two countries’ navies will conduct joint maritime maneuvers,
a drill to detect and track incoming missiles from
North Korea, and an anti-submarine drill,” a South Korean military
officer said. Since the North sank the South Korean Navy corvette
Cheonan in 2010, the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carriers have taken part
in the bilateral annual naval drills.
Rear Adm. Michael S. White, the commander of the U.S. Navy’s Carrier
Strike Group 11, said, “It
is a mission we do not take lightly and the entire strike group
will be putting forth every effort to make the most of this opportunity.” |
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