US destroyer USS Porter wraps up European patrol

US Navy destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) returned to its Spain homeport on July 27, completing its fifth forward deployed naval forces (FDNF) patrol.

Porter departed Naval Station Rota on April 2, to conduct naval operations in the US 6th Fleet area of operations, interacting with 20 countries in the process.

During the patrol, Porter completed maritime operations with the Truman carrier strike group, engaged in interoperability training with Naval Special Warfare Unit 2, and participated in exercise Sea Breeze 2018.

Additionally, the ship hosted a total of 31 midshipmen from the Belgium, Spain, Turkey and the US during different periods of the patrol.

“I am very proud of team Porter for completing another successful patrol throughout the Baltic, Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea areas of operation,” said Cmdr. John Tobin, commanding officer of Porter. “We met every mission with precision and success.”

During the patrol, Porter completed port visits in Cherbourg, France; Helsinki, Finland; Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Greece; and Odessa, Ukraine. In total, the ship travelled approximately 21,500 nautical miles, completing 9 replenishments-at-sea.

One hundred and ninety Porter sailors volunteered in four community relation events totaling 1260 hours.