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PHILIPPINE SEA (NNS) Rear Adm. George M. Wikoff, commander, Task Force (CTF) 70 and Capt. Steven DeMoss, commodore, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, visited the crew of USS John S. McCain (DDG 56), while conducting underway operations, Oct. 18.
During his visit, Wikoff met with the officers and crew, toured departmental spaces and presented awards during a ceremony held on the flight deck. As he walked through the spaces, Wikoff greeted Sailors and expressed his appreciation for the crew’s dedication.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be back on this warship,” said Wikoff. “Back in March, when I spoke to the crew on the flight deck, you all were ready to show what you all are capable of. Since then you have shown grit, have succeeded in operations as an independent deployer in the East China Sea, and now escorting the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group. I know that all of you will continue to succeed during this deployment.”
Operations Specialist 3rd Class Bobby Rowtie, from Spring Hill, Fla., spoke with the admiral in the pilot house and noted that the significance of the visit.
“It solidifies the fact that we are doing something meaningful and contributing to the bigger mission,” said Rowtie. “It is great to see the admiral back on this ship, so we can show how we are back in the fight, and that this is only the beginning.”
DeMoss visited McCain’s Combat Information Center (CIC) and engineering spaces, speaking with members of the crew during the visit.
“From the Indian Ocean to the international date line, John S McCain will cover the entire Seventh Fleet AOR over the next year,” said DeMoss. “It was great to visit the crew and see their focus as they execute a range of missions on their deployment.”
Wikoff finished his tour in the pilot house where he addressed the rest of the crew, thanking them for their continuous efforts and dedication to the mission.
“I am pleased to see McCain back at sea,” said Wikoff. “Your presence shows our adversaries that we are here to compete, and executing every evolution with urgency. We have asked a lot from you leading up to this deployment and we will continue to ask for more because we know that McCain will deliver.”
McCain is assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force.
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.20.2020 06:41 |
| Story ID: | 381290 |
| Location: | PHILIPPINE SEA |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, CTF 70, DESRON 15 visit USS John S. McCain, by PO1 Markus Castaneda, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
