ROTA, Spain –
The Sentinel-class fast response cutters, USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC 1147) and USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC 1146), arrived in Rota, Spain for a scheduled port visit, June 29, 2022.
This port visit marks the second stop while conducting operations in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa area of operations, while employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet. Earlier this month, the two cutters visited San Miguel Island, Portugal for a brief stop for fuel, reinforcing the strong bond between the United States and European allies.
"The crew and myself are thrilled to have arrived at Naval Station Rota," said Lt. David Anderson, commanding officer aboard USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC 1147). "We look forward to fostering joint-service and multinational interoperability events with the U.S. Navy and other regional partners."
While in port Rota, the cutters will conduct a maintenance availability while the two crews enjoy the rich culture of Spain.
“It is always exciting for the crew to visit new places and to give our service a chance to expand upon the collaboration and interoperability that we have with national partners,” said Lt. Trent Moon, commanding officer aboard USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC 1146). “We are greatly looking forward to numerous training opportunities with our allies in the Mediterranean.”
As NATO allies, the U.S. and Spain routinely operate together to build combined maritime interoperability, demonstrating their cohesiveness and solidarity in contributing to the maritime strength of the NATO Alliance.
“The U.S. Coast Guard extends our maritime presence and allows us to demonstrate our commitment to showing up for our allies and partners,” said Rear Adm. Chase Patrick, director of maritime headquarters, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa.
The Sentinel-class fast response cutter is a key component of the Coast Guard’s offshore fleet capable of deploying independently to conduct missions that include port, waterways and coastal security; fishery patrols; search and rescue; and national defense.
Based in Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area oversees all Coast Guard operations east of the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf. They allocate ships to deploy to the Arctic, Caribbean, and Eastern Pacific to work with partners and combat transnational organized crime and illicit maritime activity.
Four U.S. Navy destroyers are homeported in Rota, under the operational control of Commander, Task Force 65, in support of NATO’s Integrated Air Missile Defense architecture. These FDNF-E 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.
For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.
Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.