By Ensign Emily Judstra, USS Fort Worth Public Affairs
In this file photo, USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) departs Singapore in August. (U.S. Navy/MC3 Madailein Abbott) >>
GUAM - USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) arrived in Guam Sept. 6 for a routine port visit while en route to homeport in San Diego.
Sailors aboard Fort Worth are looking forward to a port call after completing the longest leg of her transit back home since departing Singapore in August. While in Guam, the ship will receive fuel, maintenance parts and stores to continue her journey home.
"We are just about one third of the way through the transit home," said Cmdr. Michael Brasseur, commanding officer, USS Fort Worth. "Our warship is performing very well and our stop in Guam is a valuable opportunity to get the parts and fuel we need to continue our journey to San Diego."
Also while in Guam the crew of Fort Worth will be able to enjoy the many sights and scenes of the island.
"I'm really looking forward to exploring the World War II monuments and associated history on the island of Guam," said Culinary Specialist First Class David Maisonneuve, "It's very humbling to know that we're following in the path of heroes."
The port visit to Guam marks the third such stop for Fort Worth while on her transit across the Pacific. Prior to arriving in Guam, Fort Worth made port visits in the Philippines and Malaysia.
Fort Worth is a high speed, agile craft designed for operations in shallow waters close to shore. She is currently on her voyage back to homeport San Diego, following a successful 18 month deployment to U.S. 7th Fleet. While operating in the area, she completed many multilateral exercises and participated in evolutions such as the AirAsia Flight QZ8501 recovery mission.
The U.S. 7th Fleet conducts forward-deployed naval operations in the Indo-Asia-Pacific area of operations. As the U.S. Navy's largest numbered fleet, 7th Fleet interacts with 25 other maritime nations to build maritime partnerships that foster maritime security, promote stability and prevent conflict.