USS Spruance Calls Into Port for 3 Days

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The Navy has docked.

The US Navy Guided Missile Destroyer, the USS Spruance (DDG 111) sailed into  Pago Pago Harbor yesterday afternoon  on a three day visit.

Since this is the vessel’s first visit to American Samoa , Attorney General, Talauega Eleasalo Ale, and American Samoa Visitors Bureau Executive Director, David Vaeafe made presentations to the ships Commander Manuel Hernadez on behalf of the Governor and tourism industry.

The ship on its first visit to American Samoa will spend three days in port provisioning with the 340 crew taking shore leave to explore the island, before leaving Friday on its deployment west.

During WWII, the vast majority of the 3rd Fleet was forward deployed throughout the Pacific Islands in campaigns all the way up to Japan.

American Samoa was formerly under the control of the U.S. Navy from 1900 until 1957 and known as ‘Naval Station Tutuila’ with the base commander overseeing an area during WWII from French Polynesia in the east to Fiji in the west.

Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet said when addressing the sailors in Hawaii “this deployment is a little bit of returning to your roots; our roots of having the 3rd Fleet deployed forward through this PAC SAG, throughout your entire cruise.”

The destroyers are trained and prepared to conduct maritime security operations, which include addressing challenges to international law at sea such as piracy and other illicit activities.

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