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NEWS | June 11, 2021

USS Roosevelt Visits Gdynia, Poland

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrea Rumple

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) arrived in Gdynia, Poland, for a scheduled port visit, June 11, 2021.

Roosevelt recently visited Poland for a brief-stop-for-fuel prior to starting its participation in Baltic Operations 50 (BALTOPS) and has returned mid-exercise to take on fuel, stores, and parts.

“During BALTOPS, Roosevelt has honed our skills in air, surface, and anti-surface warfare exercises with our NATO partners. As BALTOPS continues, our focus remains on increasing cooperation and interoperability,” said Cmdr. Ryan Kendall, Roosevelt’s commanding officer. “This brief stop in Gdynia is an opportunity for Sailors to experience and enjoy the Polish culture before we rejoin our Allies in this excellent exercise.”

During the visit, Roosevelt Sailors were authorized liberty in Poland. This is the first time in many months that Roosevelt has been granted off-pier liberty due to the COVID pandemic.

 “I’m really excited to experience Gdynia,” said Personnel Specialist 1st Class Danay Blanchet, a Roosevelt Sailor. “This is my first time in Poland and my first liberty port onboard Roosevelt.”

Sailors followed all local COVID-19 protocol and procedures.

Roosevelt, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, began its second Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) patrol March 29 in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.

Roosevelt is one of four U.S. Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, and assigned to Commander, Task Force 65 in support of NATO’s Integrated Air Missile Defense architecture. These Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Europe ships have the flexibility to operate throughout the waters of Europe and Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle, demonstrating their mastery of the maritime domain.

U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national security interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.