The commander of U.S. 6th Fleet visited Sailors aboard guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61), April 17.
While visiting the ship, Vice Adm. Phil Davidson met with Ramage’s leadership and held an all-hands call with the crew, recognizing them for all their hard work and accomplishments while deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.
“You guys are the hardest working destroyer in the Navy,” said Davidson. “I know that for a fact. We counted on you to do the hard stuff, and you did it well. I appreciate all of your efforts.”
During the all-hands call, Davidson emphasized the importance of Ramage’s mission while answering questions from Ramage Sailors. He also discussed the ship’s future as it returns to Norfolk for an extended period of planned maintenance.
“I enjoyed the opportunity to have Vice Adm. Davidson come out and speak to us today,” said Personnel Specialist 1st Class Gervin Pimentel. “For him to take time out of his busy schedule to arrive in person and thank us made my deployment that much more meaningful.”
Ramage, homeported in Norfolk, Va., is deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts.
U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full range of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation missions in concert with coalition, joint, interagency, and other parties in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.
[mappress] Press Release, April 20, 2014; Image: US Navy