The leaders and crews of USS Monsoon (PC 4) and USS Chinook (PC 9) ended nearly 30 years of service in the United States Navy.
“We are honored to be a part of this waterfront heritage,” said Lt.-Col. Dre Johnson during the ceremony. “PC Sailors are a unique group and only they can understand the amount of work they put in and the pride they take in what they accomplish.”
Johnson is Monsoon’s last commander. The U.S. Navy commissioned the ship in 1994, and after Monsoon served four years in the U.S. Coast Guard, she was recommissioned in 2008. She Chinook was commissioned in 1995.
“Our 28-year crew spans multiple generations, each one dedicated to the mission, adapting to rapidly changing mission sets, and working together as a team to accomplish it no matter what obstacles are thrown at us. “I did,” the lieutenant said. David Hartman, Chinook commander.
Monsoon and Chinook are the final group of 10 ships stationed in Bahrain designed for shallow water operations. The Middle East region includes her 5,000 miles of coastline from the northern Arabian Gulf, around the Arabian Peninsula, through the Red Sea and through the Suez Canal.
Last year, the U.S. Navy retired five patrol boats and transferred them to the Bahrain Navy: former vessels USS Tempest (PC 2), USS Typhoon (PC 5), USS Squall (PC 7), and USS Firebolt (PC 10). , USS Whirlwind (PC 11). Additionally, the U.S. Navy retired the former USS Hurricane (PC 3), USS Scirocco (PC 6), and USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) and transferred them to the Egyptian Navy in a formal ceremony held in Alexandria, Egypt last week.
Monsoon and Chinook will be transferred to the Philippine Navy. Philippine government officials also attended the ceremony.
“We would like to congratulate our sailors for achieving this milestone and representing our nation and our Navy with the utmost pride and professionalism,” said Capt. Anthony Weber, commander of Task Force 55, which oversees surface operations for the U.S. 5th Fleet. I’m proud,” he said. “We are also proud to be delivering a great ship to our partners in the Philippines.”
Bahrain, Egypt and the Philippines are members of the world’s largest multinational naval partnership called the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). Led by the United States, the organization’s militaries from 38 countries operate across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters in the Middle East. This partnership will ensure maritime security and stability on some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.