American destroyer USS Bulkeley to leave Portsmouth after joining critical Nato Baltic Sea mission - timings
A US Navy destroyer is set to leave Portsmouth tomorrow (Monday, October 6) following a critical Nato mission.
USS Bulkeley, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, sailed to the city’s naval base on Friday (October 3) watched by Naval enthusiasts who gathered on The Round Tower in Old Portsmouth to catch a glimpse of the warship.
Now she is set to leave the Princess Royal Jetty at around 12.10pm tomorrow and head out of the harbour.
The 9,200 tonne vessel is in Europe having joined the Baltic Sentry mission in a first for the US Navy. American P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft previously provided intermittent assistance to the operation for the past 10 months.
The aim for Nato is to protect critical undersea infrastructure from threats, with Russian ships being caught out in several instances. Unspecified drones have been spotted near Denmark. Nato in response has committed additional assets to Baltic Sentry, including multiple intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms. This was headed by the German Sachsen-class frigate FGS Hamburg.
Commander Arlo Abrahamson, a spokesperson for NATO's Allied Maritime Command, told Business Insider that “enhanced vigilance activity” is highlighted by the deployment, with more aims than just protecting undersea cables. “The presence of FGS Hamburg operating near Denmark for Baltic Sentry enhanced vigilance activities sends a message of assurance and cohesion within the alliance,” he added.
USS Bulkeley has patrolled the Danish straits alongside maritime units from the Scandinavian nation.
US Army Colonel Martin O’Donnell, NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe spokesperson, said: “The USS Bulkeley represents a fraction of U.S. involvement in Baltic Sentry as Europeans continue to shoulder more of the burden for their own security. More than 95 percent of the ships that have supported Baltic Sentry since it began in January are European."
US forces regularly sailed to Portsmouth to resupply. USS Bulkeley’s sister ship, USS Winston S Churchill, visited the Royal Navy base in early September.