During June, five midshipmen – four from the U.S. Naval Academy and one from Georgia Tech – got a taste of what life is like as a part of FDNF. The midshipmen boarded USS Antietam (CG 54) in Yokosuka, Japan and sailed with the ship for two weeks while on patrol in the 7th Fleet area of operations.
The visit was part of the midshipmen’s summer cruise training program, which is designed to enhance their professional development.
“The purpose of these visits is to introduce midshipmen to the tasks at hand and the daily routine of life at sea,” said Ensign Oheneba Duodu, Antietam’s midshipmen training officer. “This summer cruise serves a larger purpose of enabling midshipmen to make informed career decisions about their future naval careers.”
Antietam is on patrol with the George Washington Carrier Strike Group in the 7th Fleet area of operations supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
[mappress] Press Release, June 25, 2014; Image: Wikimedia