Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) leadership visited the Littoral Combat Ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) while it was in port Sasebo conducting routine maintenance, Mar. 20.
While on board, JMSDF leadership toured Fort Worth’s bridge and mission control center as well as her airborne and waterborne mission zones. During the tour, the officers learned how the ship’s modularity allows it to be reconfigured for a number of missions including surface warfare, mine warfare and anti-submarine warfare. The potential of LCS modularity was also demonstrated by embarking U.S. Navy divers during the recent AirAsia search and by embarking U.S. Marines for a portion of the annual U.S.-Republic of Korea Foal Eagle exercise.
Fort Worth is the second LCS to deploy to 7th Fleet as part of an initiative to simultaneously deploy up to four LCS in the Asia-Pacific region by the end of the decade. Working primarily out of Singapore as a maintenance and logistics hub, this is the first time an LCS has operated in Northeast Asia. Prior to arriving in Japan, Fort Worth participated in the U.S.-Republic of Korea annual exercise Foal Eagle.
Following the Sasebo port visit and a brief routine underway period off the coast of Japan, Fort Worth will begin her return transit to Southeast Asia, where she will begin exchanges with regional navies such as the International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (IMDEX) 2015 in Singapore before turning over to the next crew in late May.
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Image: US Navy