USS Antietam in Manila Bay

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 11): USS Antietam in Manila Bay

The USS Antietam (CG-54), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, named for the site of the 1862 Battle of Antietam, Maryland during the American Civil War, docked in Manila Bay on March 8 as part of a routine visit for maintenance and crew rest.

The ship, 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. As recently as November 2013, the USS Antietam was deployed as part of the U.S. aid mission to the Philippines after Super Typhoon Haiyan, in Tacloban and Leyte Province.

 

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 U.S. forces.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=865746