U.S. Warships To Arrive In Georgia This Weekend
The McFaul outside of Manhattan
Agencie France Presse:
A US guided missile destroyer was expected to transit into the Black Sea on Friday and deliver tons of relief supplies to Georgia over the weekend, a Pentagon spokesman said.
“We expect no interference with our ability to deliver humanitarian assistance,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said, a reference to Russian forces that still control key land routes linking Tbilisi to the sea.
The United States is sending two warships and a Coast Guard cutter to Georgia, but the lead ship is the USS McFaul, a guided missile destroyer that departed from Souda Bay, Crete earlier this week loaded with supplies.
“The McFaul will transit into the Black Sea today,” Whitman said, adding that it was expected to reach Georgia over the weekend to unload but did not specify which port.
There were reports of Russia columns beginning to move in the direction of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the breakaway regions at the heart of the conflict between Georgia and Russia.
But in Moscow, the Russian military showed reporters a map indicating that Russian “peacekeepers” will retain control of a key highway linking the Georgian capital to the sea.
Russian military posts are to be established outside the Black Sea port of Poti and troops will have the right to deploy anywhere on the road between Poti and the city of Senaki, according to the map.
Meanwhile, the United States stepped up aid flights by military transport planes to Georgia.
Four C-130 and a C-17 aircraft flew to Tbilisi Friday, raising the total tonnage of relief supplies flown in since the start of crisis to more than 434, Whitman said.
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It jars me every time I see an older movie that shows the World Trade Center, sort of like this pic.
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:26 amThe second warship is the USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), the flagship of the U.S. Sixth Fleet.
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:26 amVery interesting USS Mount Whitney not just flagship of the 6th fleet but also command ship for Commander Joint Command Lisbon and Commander Striking Force NATO.
And I wonder just where the rest of the 6th fleet is
They can’t be to far off from their flagship.
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:01 amWe need to unload an aromored column to take releif supplies up that road from the port to Tiblisi. See if the Russians would try to stop a bunch of Abrams and Bradleys. I think not!
August 22nd, 2008 at 11:02 amFuck yeah, suck American dick pooty. We need to send a massive armoured column up the road from Poti to Senaki and into The Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
August 22nd, 2008 at 11:04 amCan we bomb them yet.
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:26 pmArticle’s last paragraph - “Four C-130 and a C-17 aircraft flew to Tbilisi Friday, raising the total tonnage of relief supplies flown in since the start of crisis to more than 434″
…………………….
That’s news to me, I had no idea the number of flights was that high.
An average of 31 flights a day since the Russians attacked, actually it’s higher because the flights didn’t start right away.
And I’m not sure but I think Guided Missile Destroyers more or less specialize in air defense.
Anyone out there know for sure?
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 pmCan defend or attack. They have tomohawk missles.
Wikpedia:
Armament:
1 × 29 cell, 1 × 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems with 90 × RIM-66 SM-2, BGM-109 Tomahawk or RUM-139 VL-Asroc missiles
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:52 pm1 × Mark 45 5/54 in (127/54 mm)
2 × 25 mm chain gun
4 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) guns
2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS
2 × Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes
The Sixth Fleet is the command area, usually the Mediterranean Sea. So, the way it works, if I remember right, let’s use a carrier battle group as an example. When the battle group leaves Norfolk it is under the 2nd Fleet Command, when it enters the Med it transfers to the 6th Fleet. If it should happen to transit the ditch (Suez Canal) it will enter the auspices of the Central Command, but still 6th Fleet. The MT. Whitney is capable of communicating with any ship or asset regardless of where it is located. It does not usually hang out with the battle group.
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:33 pmi agree, when i heard of “Mount Whitney” and what it actually was and is capable of doing..well…im sure there wouldnt be any fly-overs or helicopter patrols by russians over georgia, whats the stated perimeter of defence for the US warships? i mean when they can attack the potential intruder, at what distance? i also read that McFaul was one of three that participated in shooting down a satelite at 390 km in space…very good news indeed…hope the deterrent is vocal enough for any of the russia’s actions
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:56 pmIt’s like 7:30 AM T’blisi time right now. Man I wish we had a satellite shot of there coastline right now and of the two port cities. To bad the Iowa class ships aren’t available for this it would be something to see the Missouri and the Wisconsin in this group of guided missile destroyers.
I’s say some 16″ copperheads would contribute greatly for humanitarian aid efforts and raise the Georgia moral a ton also. It’s kind of comforting to see your big brother show up an bust the bullies ass for screwing with you.
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:40 pmWhile these ships are versatile enough to do it all, AEGIS-class destroyers are primarily intended to serve as carrier escorts specializing in anti-aircraft and anti-submarine warfare. The McFaul will certainly give the Russian air force something to think about.
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/ddg-51.htm
http://www.ss.northropgrumman.com/press/news/m_04_25_98.html
August 23rd, 2008 at 4:35 am