The U.S.S. America, United States' latest amphibious warship aircraft carrier, has arrived in Peru for holding joint offshore training exercises between the American and Peruvian navy.
The U.S. Navy carrier arrived on Saturday into the Callao Harbor on her sixth port visit en route to her homeport in San Diego, California, and as part of her maiden transit titled "America visits the Americas".
The U.S. forces are in a mission to conduct training around the Peruvian coast and also to carry out joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
“These naval exercises are intended to achieve greater interoperability in the field of communications and procedures to follow with our friends in the United States Navy,” said Carlos Tejada, Peruvian Navy’s General Commander
The ministers of the Peruvian State of Defense, Pedro Cateriano; and Foreign affairs, Gonzalo Gutierrez, were invited aboard the carrier to tour the ship’s interior and its flight deck.
“With this joint naval training we will increase our interoperability accidental type operations,” Peru Navy’s top leader noted.
America is the first ship of its class, replacing the Tarawa-class of amphibious assault ships. As the next generation "big-deck" amphibious assault ship, America is optimized for aviation, capable of supporting current and future aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey and F-35B Joint Strike Fighter.
The ship is scheduled to be ceremoniously commissioned Oct. 11 in San Francisco.
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Published: 9/1/2014