The Freedom-variant littoral fight ship USS Sioux Metropolis (LCS 11) returned to Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Oct. 2, following its historic five-month deployment to the U.S. fifth and sixth Fleet areas of operations. The deployment supplied a chance for Sioux Metropolis to realize expertise in each operational fleets. The ship’s measurement, velocity, and agility allowed it to carry out maritime safety operations, theater safety cooperation engagements, and freedom of navigation patrols – holding important maritime commerce routes open, deterring battle and coercion, and strengthening partnerships with different international locations. Sioux Metropolis Blue Crew, together with the “Sea Knights” of Helicopter Sea Fight Squadron (HSC) 22, Detachment 2, deployed on Apr. 25, 2022, changing into the primary LCS to function within the Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Purple Sea, Gulf of Aden, Northern Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Gulf.
Sioux Metropolis participated in numerous at-sea evolutions and operated alongside U.S. and allied items on a number of events, together with the Nimitz-class plane provider USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), two Egyptian Navy ships, the Italian Navy Cassiopea-class MM Patrol Boat “Vega” (P404) and a German Navy patrol plane (P3C). The ship carried out a preventive upkeep availability (PMAV) at Naval Help Exercise Souda Bay, Greece in Might, efficiently engaging in the proof-of-concept for Ahead Deployed Regional Upkeep Heart’s (FDRMC) capacity to conduct upkeep on the LCS class in Europe. Following this PMAV, Sioux Metropolis entered the fifth Fleet space of operations and transited the Suez Canal to offer regional maritime safety and accomplice capability constructing within the Purple Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden in assist of the lately established Mixed Activity Drive (CTF) 153.
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The ship then transited the Strait of Hormuz alongside coastal patrol ship USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) and 4 U.S. Coast Guard cutters earlier than arriving at Naval Help Exercise Bahrain for one more PMAV alternative, June 25, earlier than persevering with operations within the area. After 39 days underway in fifth Fleet, the ship returned to the Mediterranean Sea, finally heading up north for a ultimate PMAV interval in Fredericia, Denmark, the primary LCS PMAV within the Baltic Sea area, Aug. 24, 2022. The ship and her crew bolstered relations with a key NATO ally whereas engaging in repairs to maintain the ship mission-ready.
Together with their embarked air detachment, Sioux Metropolis carried out over 350 hours of search and rescue (SAR) succesful flight operations in addition to quite a few Go to Board Search and Seizure operations whereas deployed. All through the deployment, Sioux Metropolis traveled roughly 27,000 nautical miles and visited 16 ports. Whereas underway, eight Sailors earned their enlisted floor warfare specialist qualification, 30 Sailors earned their enlisted air warfare specialist qualification, and 11 Sailors requalified. Two Sailors have been additionally superior to the following paygrade, whereas two extra have been meritoriously superior. LCS is a quick, agile, mission-focused platform designed for operation in near-shore environments but able to open-ocean operation. It’s designed to defeat uneven “anti-access” threats and is able to supporting ahead presence, maritime safety, sea management, and deterrence.
