USS Taylor Leaves Black Sea

The Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Taylor (FFG 50) departed the Black Sea after a series of engagements that promoted peace and stability in the region, May 12.

Taylor’s mission while in the Black Sea was to reassure NATO allies and European partners of the U.S. Navy’s commitment to strengthening and improving interoperability while working toward mutual goals in the region.

“Our time in the Black Sea was a positive experience that reinforced and further developed our relationships with partner nations,” said Taylor’s Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Murz Morris. “It afforded the crew the opportunity to work alongside and conduct training with multiple navies through diverse and challenging scenarios.”

Taylor participated in three bilateral underway engagements. The first involved the guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) and various Romanian navy ships, where Romanian sailors conducted visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) evolutions. During the second engagement, Taylor and the Romanian navy conducted a live-fire exercise and an anti-submarine warfare scenario. The third consisted of tactical maneuvering exercises and detect to engage (DTE) scenario with a Turkish Navy ship.

Taylor also conducted training in several mission areas while in port with the Georgia Coast Guard.

“The unique experience of training with foreign navies in the Black Sea has allowed us the opportunity to better work together in furthering our proficiency in several mission areas,” said Ensign Joanna Dunn, communications officer onboard.

Taylor conducted port visits in Constanta, Romania, and Batumi, Georgia. Both port visits served to build understanding and strengthen the bonds between the United States and our NATO allies and partners.

Taylor, homeported in Mayport, Fla., is deployed in a multi-mission role in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to contribute to regional maritime security, conduct bilateral and multilateral training missions, and to support NATO operations and deployments throughout the region.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full range of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation missions in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.

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Press Release, May 12, 2014; Image: US Navy