USS Somerset gets underway from San Diego for drills with new Peruvian LPD BAP Pisco

US Navy’s amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset (LPD 25) got underway from her San Diego homeport on November 12 en route to Peru where she will join the Peruvian Navy’s new landing platform dock ship B.A.P. Pisco for exercises.

Somerset and Pisco will carry out joint simulation exercises for rapid response to natural disasters off the coast of Calao.

USS Somerset is scheduled to arrive in Calao on November 20 while joint amphibious landings on the Costa Verde will take place on November 24.

Helicopters, Zodiac boats, landing craft, and amphibious vehicles will be deployed in conjunction with surface vessels from both navies.

Approximately 300 US Marines and sailors from the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Peru (SPMAGTF-Peru) will arrive aboard the US vessel to form a task force with Peruvian naval personnel (Reinforced Rapid Disaster Response Company – CIR) and participate in humanitarian assistance and disaster-response training exercises.

This exercise, dubbed “Primus,” is part of a series of activities of cooperation carried out over the years between friendly nations associated with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training. An example of this is the recent visit of the US hospital ship USNS Comfort that provided medical attention for five days in the port of Paita.

B.A.P. Pisco is the first of two ships in its class built by state-owned shipbuilder SIMA (Servicios Industriales de la Marina S.A.) for the Peruvian Navy. The ship entered service in June this year.