Following an unscheduled port visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain due to coronavirus (COVID-19), the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) has returned to sea fully mission capable, Mar. 21. The port visit and medical support were coordinated with the host nation government and Bahrain Ministry of Health. Philippine Sea pulled into Bahrain on Feb. 26, in order to provide rapid testing capability and facilities to isolate personnel who tested positive and their close contacts. While in port, more than half of the ships’ crew received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine and have been allotted the second vaccine. All personnel have been encouraged to get vaccinated.
“The immediate care, assistance, and overwhelming support extended by the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Bahrain Ministry of Health, the U.S. 5th Fleet Staff and Medical Teams, and Task Force 55 was awe inspiring. This collective team of dedicated professionals provided all of the aid necessary to allow Philippine Sea’s Sailors to return to sea, fully mission ready. The strength, commitment, and resilience of this crew remain the key to Philippine Sea’s success and we’re once again ready to support any and all operational tasking” said Capt. Kevin Hoffman, the commanding officer of USS Philippine Sea.
Philippine Sea has been deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations. USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) is a Flight II Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser on active service in the United States Navy. She is named for the Battle of the Philippine Sea during World War II and is the second ship to bear the name. Philippine Sea was built by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. Her keel was laid on 8 April 1986 and she was launched on 12 July 1987. Upon completion of her sea-trials after construction, Philippine Sea transferred to the Atlantic Fleet and was commissioned on 18 March 1989 in Portland, Maine. She has completed multiple deployments as part of Operation Enduring Freedom since 2001.
