Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Aaron Lau | 210909-N-GF955-1030 NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. (Sept. 9, 2021) The Freedom-variant...... read more read more
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Juel Foster
NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. (Sept. 8, 2021) - The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Sioux City (LCS 11), along with the “Sea Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22 Detachment 4 and embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment, departed from its homeport of Naval Station Mayport Sept. 7, 2021, beginning its deployment to support operations to the U.S. Fourth Fleet area of operations.
Sioux City will support counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Sioux City’s operations will involve practical exercises and exchanges with partner nations, supporting U.S. 4th Fleet interoperability and reinforcing the U.S. position as the regional partner of choice.
Deploying an LCS to the region aims to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to international cooperation and regional security. The ship’s size, speed, and agility make LCS ideal for narcotics interdictions, partner engagements and port access.
“As we approach the 20th anniversary of September 11th, Sioux City crew remains focused on the mission,” said Cmdr. Bradford Tonder, commanding officer of Sioux City. “We have a large group of first-deployment Sailors on the crew, who provide fresh enthusiasm and perspectives to the veteran crewmembers. The crew is excited to carry out U.S. 4th Fleet tasking.”
Manned by over 100 Sailors, Sioux City’s crew will consist of surface warfare mission-package personnel, a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment (LEDET), and an aviation detachment, who will operate the embarked MH-60S helicopter.
“This is my first deployment, which is why I’m so excited; I’ve been waiting about three and a half years to finally deploy,” said Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Kyle Wawrzenski, a new Sioux City crewmember. “The fact that we have such a good crew makes it even more excited and enjoyable for me. That’s what is really going to make this a great deployment.”
LCS is a fast, agile, and networked surface combatant, designed to operate in near-shore environments, while capable of open-ocean tasking and winning against 21st-century threats.
USS Sioux City is operationally assigned to U.S. 2nd Fleet and is one of four littoral combat ships under Surface Division Two One.
| Date Taken: | 09.08.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.10.2021 09:41 |
| Story ID: | 404689 |
| Location: | MAYPORT, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | MAYPORT, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 799 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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Littoral combat ship (LCS)
