US announces arrival of another warship in PHL

From GMA News (Mar 11): US announces arrival of another warship in PHL

The US Embassy in Manila on Friday announced the arrival of another American warship in the Philippines.

The USS Antietam (CG-54), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, docked in Manila Bay on Tueday "as part of a routine visit for maintenance and crew rest".

It is the American mission's second statement in a day announcing the arrival of a US Navy warcraft.

Earlier in the day, the Embassy released a statement announcing the arrival of the USS Charlotte, an attack submarine, at the Subic Bay port.

The arrival of the warships came after the Navy Times reported that the United States navy has deployed an aircraft carrier and five other ships in the South China Sea.

The deployment of the US ships came at least two weeks after China deployed surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island in the disputed Paracels group, a move seen by many as proof that China is militarizing the South China Sea.

Information available online said the USS Antietam is armed with guided missiles and rapid-fire guns and is capable of facing and defeating threats in the air, on the sea, on the shore, and beneath the sea.

The warship also carries two Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS (Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System) helicopters, capable of multiple missions, but primarily equipped for anti-submarine warfare [ASW].

The The USS Antietam, which was commissioned in June 1987 and is homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, is part of the USS John C. Stennis Strike Group.

With a crew of more than 350 personnel, the USS Antietam has previously deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of routine operations, and has also been deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The USS Antietam was also deployed as a part of the US aid mission to the Philippines after Super Typhoon Yolanda in Leyte.

[Video: Presscon on US humanitarian assistance to typhoon Yolanda victims   (Nov 12, 2013)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt0YsvkYYUQ]

 "While in Manila, some members of the ship’s crew will have the opportunity to meet with the Philippine Coast Guard in a friendly game of basketball, as a means of continuing to build the relationship between Philippine and US forces," the Embassy said in a statement.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/558721/news/nation/us-announces-arrival-of-another-warship-in-phl