Sekondi, Ghana Welcomes USNS Spearhead

The Military Sealift Command’s joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) arrived in Sekondi, Ghana, for a routine port visit Feb. 3, 2015.

Spearhead is currently in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations (AOO) to assist in U.S. and partner nation maritime law enforcement interoperability, and to support partner nation capacity building during its deployment in support of Africa Partnership Station (APS).

Cmdr. Matthew Flemming, APS mission commander, said:

The embarked military detachment and civil service mariners of USNS Spearhead look forward to subject-matter-expert exchanges with Ghanaian forces here in Sekondi. Port visits like this allow us to work side-by-side with our Ghanaian counterparts and exchange best practices in maritime security.

APS is an international security cooperation initiative aimed at strengthening maritime interoperability between the U.S. and coastal African partner nations in order to strengthen oceangoing safety and security in the region.

Most recently, Spearhead completed Africa Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership operations in the Atlantic Ocean, which included law enforcement training with Cape Verde military and maritime security personnel, and running real-time boat interdiction operations with Senegalese “Maritime Nationale” forces.

The 338-foot-long aluminum catamaran is capable of carrying 600 tons of military troops, vehicles, supplies, and equipment, and can transit 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots. It has a 20,000-square-foot mission bay area that can be reconfigured to adapt to whatever mission the ship is tasked with – from carrying a containerized portable hospital to supporting disaster relief or transporting tanks and troops.

Spearhead began this scheduled deployment from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia, Dec. 28, 2014.

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Image: US Navy