Sailors aboard a U.S war ship are looking forward to rest and relaxation here in Nassau after an official welcome to the island by the Governor General himself.
The USS THACH tied up at the Prince George Wharf Monday and will be here until tomorrow for a much-needed break on their six-month mission.
Members of the ship’s crew like Lieutenant Lisa Hodgson hope to take in as much of the island’s treasures as they possibly can.
“We absolutely want to get lots of rest and relaxation and most all of the sailors are excited about the water park at the Atlantis that they’ve heard about from friends or seen on the internet,” said Lt. Hodgson. “Who could ask for a better vacation than in The Bahamas?”
Hodgson admitted that the break here in Nassau was one of the first stops that the crew had experienced so far that did not have a thick cloud hovering overhead.
Charge D’Affaires at the U.S Embassy Dr. Brent Hardt explained to the invited guests aboard the ship at a welcoming ceremony that this resting stop was much needed as the ship had just intercepted over 4.5 metric tons of cocaine on this recent deployment in the Eastern Pacific ocean.
“[The drug interception] has an estimated street value of 75 million dollars and ten people were arrested and this is their second major drug bust they had since their deployment in mid-June,” said Dr. Hardt.
He also mentioned that the ship’s mission was to provide anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine protection for carrier strike groups and other military and merchant shipping.
Governor General Arthur D Hanna joked that he felt protected by just knowing that the ship was at the pier.
“In the Bahamas, American ships are always welcome and we feel comfortable when we see American ships around. Not that anyone would want to attack us,” said Mr. Hanna. “But in the event that someone does, we could just point over there and say see some ships over there.”
The Governor General also commended the ship’s commanding officer, Commander Rinda K. Ranch, for her tenacity employed in the two drug busts, which he understood took more than 24 hours to complete, without any sleep.
“They tell me in Navy language that you don’t talk about her or him,” said the Governor General.
“But one of the things we must recognise is the fact that she must have been an extraordinary person to rise to this rank of such a wonderful and big ship.”
However, Commander Ranch said she believed that the USS THACH was the greatest warship in history mainly because of the people who work on board the ship. She admitted that she loved showing the ship off to the public as many tours were organised for the guests aboard the ship.
By: INDERIA SAUNDERS, The Nassau Guardian
