The Royal Moroccan Navy teamed up with its U.S. counterpart in a passing exercise in the Mediterranean sea last week, February 6, aimed at boosting interoperability and tactical proficiency.
The U.S. Navy was represented by the Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate USS Elrod (FFG 55), while the Sigma-class corvette Allal Ben Abellah (FMMM 615) took part in the sea drills on behalf of the Royal Moroccan Navy.
The drills included ship maneuvering, simulation of man overboard response scenarios along with boarding operations.
“They boarded our ship as if we were a shipping vessel, searched each of the crew members, and searched certain areas of the ship that were designated to be a part of the scenario, and apprehended the suspects when they found contraband,” said Boatswain’s Mate Seaman Jacob Genovese, a member of Elrod’s boarding team. “The entire time we watched from a distance and compared all of our techniques. Afterwards, we went to their ship and did the same.”
USS Elrod set sail on a six-month deployment on 14th of January, during which the ship will conduct several exercises with African nations and security operations.
Elrod has departed Nouakchott, Mauritania after a port visit at the end of January. The visit was aimed at building up relations with the Mauritian leaders and bolstering maritime partnerships.
This is 11th deployment for USS Elrod since her commissioning. Upon return from deployment, Elrod is scheduled for decommissioning after more than 30 years of service.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, February 10, 2014; Image: US Navy