USS Donald Cook enters Black Sea on European patrol

US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) entered the Black Sea after transiting the Dardanelles Strait on January 19.

The destroyer will operate in the region for up to 21 days, as allowed by the Montreux Convention, conducting maritime security operations.

Donald Cook entered the Black Sea after dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) became the first US Navy ship to do so since the Kerch Strait incident. Fort McHenry transited the Dardanelles Strait on January 6.

“The United States and the US Navy continue to stand alongside our allies in defense of shared regional interests and maritime stability,” said Cmdr. Matthew J. Powel, commanding officer of Donald Cook. “Our arrival into the Black Sea will showcase the Navy’s interoperability in pursuit of common security objectives, enabling us to respond effectively to future crises or deterring aggression.”

In 2018, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Ross (DDG 71), USS Carney (DDG 64) and USS Porter (DDG 78), the Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), the Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) with embarked elements of the 26th MEU, and the Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Carson City (T-EPF 7) all conducted operations in the Black Sea.

Donald Cook, forward-deployed at Naval Station Rota, Spain, is conducting naval operations in the US 6th Fleet area of operations in support of US national security interests in Europe.