The Whidbey Island-class dock touchdown ship USS Gunston Corridor (LSD 44) and embarked Marines with the twenty second Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark, July 8, 2022, to finish a scheduled upkeep availability and to strengthen relations with a key NATO ally. The upkeep interval, termed a mid-deployment voyage restore (MDVR), permits the ship to finish corrective and preventative upkeep that can’t be completed whereas at sea, and conducting the MDVR in Denmark offers a wealth of advantages to the ship and crew. Gunston Corridor arrived in Copenhagen after three-and-a-half months of deployment within the U.S. Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR) space of operations the place they’ve participated in Northern Viking 22, Neptune Defend, Hedgehog, BALTOPS 22 and a number of interoperability workout routines with allies and companions. Mid-deployment voyage repairs are used to finish repairs and upkeep to make sure the ship stays mechanically prepared all through the rest of their time on deployment.

Sailors and Marines aboard Gunston Corridor even have the chance to take part in leisure actions in Copenhagen, together with visiting the Tivoli Gardens, Little Mermaid Statue, Rosenborg Fort, Nationwide Museum, and native botanical and zoological gardens, all whereas constructing friendships with the native inhabitants. The Kearsarge ARG and embarked twenty second MEU are underneath the command and management of Process Power 61/2. The ARG consists of Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3); San-Antonio class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24); and Gunston Corridor. Embarked instructions with the Kearsarge ARG embody Amphibious Squadron SIX, twenty second MEU, Fleet Surgical Group 2, Fleet Surgical Group 4, Tactical Air Management Squadron 22, Helicopter Sea Fight Squadron 22, Helicopter Sea Fight Squadron 28, Assault Craft Unit 2, Assault Craft Unit 4, Naval Seashore Group 2, and Seashore Grasp Unit 2.

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U.S. Navy Dock Whidbey Island-class dock touchdown ship USS Gunston Corridor (LSD-44)

USS Gunston Corridor (LSD-44) is a Whidbey Island-class dock touchdown ship of the US Navy. She was the second Navy ship to be named for Gunston Corridor, the Mason Neck, Virginia property of George Mason, certainly one of Virginia’s Revolutionary figures, and “Father of the Invoice of Rights”. Gunston Corridor was laid down on 26 Might 1986, on the Avondale Shipyards, New Orleans, Louisiana. The ship was launched on 27 June 1987, commissioned on 22 April 1989 and assigned to Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek. Gunston Corridor is at present homeported at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia, and assigned to Amphibious Group 2 of the Atlantic Fleet. On 13 Might 2022, Gunston Corridor took half in a PASSEX coaching with the Finnish and Swedish navies within the northern Baltic Sea, and in June she took half within the BALTOPS 2022 train.

Amphibious prepared teams and bigger amphibious activity forces present army commanders a variety of versatile capabilities together with maritime safety operations, expeditionary energy projection, strike operations, ahead naval presence, disaster response, sea management, deterrence, counter-terrorism, data operations, safety cooperation and counter-proliferation, and humanitarian help and catastrophe reduction. For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has cast strategic relationships with our Allies and Companions, leveraging a basis of shared values to protect safety and stability. Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces within the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of accountability. U.S. Sixth Fleet is completely assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces by way of the total spectrum of joint and naval operations.