US destroyer USS Carney concludes Mediterranean, Black Sea patrols

US Navy’s forward-deployed guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) completed a four-month patrol in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, returning to Rota, Spain, on March 31.

While on patrol, Carney conducted missions in support of regional allies and partners in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions.

Carney and the crew also conducted several bilateral and multilateral exercises with Bulgarian, Romanian, Turkish, and Ukrainian navies in the Black Sea, as well as with the Maltese in the Mediterranean.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the crew and how they handled themselves over the past four months on our fourth FDNF patrol,” said Cmdr. Peter Halvorsen, Carney’s commanding officer. “They have performed admirably, and we are all excited to get back to Rota and see our families.”

The crew gave back to communities while moored in Ukraine and Bulgaria by participating in community relations projects. In Ukraine, Carney sailors conducted ship’s tours for and gave knit hats to local children. In Bulgaria, sailors visited a local elementary school to spend a day with the children there. Both projects provided the opportunity to meet with the people, and experience the rich history and cultures of those countries.

Carney also hosted a number of receptions for distinguished visitors in Malta, Ukraine, Egypt and Bulgaria.

At the midpoint of the patrol, Carney returned to Rota for a two-week training and maintenance availability (TRAV). This availability allowed Carney to conduct a maintenance and material management certification, which encompassed 30 maintenance checks and 128 spot checks. The ship completed the certification with a score of 93 percent.

Following TRAV, Carney went back to the Black Sea for a second time and joined USS Ross (DDG 71), Feb. 17, to conduct joint maritime security operations. It was the first time two US ships had operated in the Black Sea since July 2017, during the US-Ukraine co-hosted exercise Sea Breeze 2017.

After departing the Black Sea, Carney participated in exercise Juniper Cobra with Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) and Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) in the eastern Mediterranean before turning its bow toward Rota and home.

In total, Carney and its crew covered nearly 21,000 nautical miles and visited seven countries during the patrol. Carney served 108,000 meals and provided 880 haircuts, expended 60,000 small-caliber rounds, conducted 10 damage control drills, and held major live-fire gunnery exercises.