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Sunday 28th June 2009
USS Essex
docks in Cairns
Twelve hours after steering his
257m American warship into Cairns, USS Essex Captain Brent Canady
declared he and his crew were looking forward to meeting the
locals
Hundreds of people lined Trinity Wharf yesterday to warmly welcome
the Essex, the smaller USS Tortuga and their crews to the Far
North for a week-long visit before large scale military exercises
begin
The 2500 crew on board the Essex and an additional 1000 on board
the Tortuga spent their first day in Cairns docked at Trinity
Inlet before they were addressed by the captain late yesterday
and allowed ashore
Several sailors and marines took the opportunity to leave the
ship early, mingling with an eager public and happily answering
questions
Capt Canady, who has visited Queensland before, said he and his
crew had been looking forward to arriving for more than a year
"It is truly great to be back in the Sunshine State"
he said
"It (Australia) is truly a jewel of a country and a great
port visit for us all
We are looking forward to the warm hospitality we have received
(in Australia) before"
He said most of his crew had not been to Australia and were especially
looking forward to US Independence Day celebrations on Saturday
"I actually think the town is having a lot of 4th of July
celebrations and I guarantee the marines and the sailors will
be there" he said
Australian navy Brig Bob Brown welcomed the Essex and Tortuga
to Cairns, saying the crew on board would have a good time in
the Far North
He said the reason for the visit was the military exercise Talisman
Sabre 2009, part of which will take place in the Timor, Coral
and Arafura seas
"This is the third in a series of Talisman Sabre exercises,
large-scale exercises at the task force level, designed for Australian
and US troops to exercise and practise combat readiness and inter-operability"
he said
"It is a very important exercise we are about to embark
on"
Squadron Cdr Don Schmieley, in charge of the Essex, Tortuga and
USS Denver, which is docked at Townsville, said while the exercise
was important, the crew was excited about spending a week in
Cairns
"This is really a big event for all of the sailors of the
Essex amphibious ready group" he said
"We are all very pleased to be here, especially in the nice,
sunny, warm weather ... it's terrific" |
