USS Sioux City (LCS 11) arrived in Bahrain for a scheduled port visit on June 25, marking the completion of a 10,000-mile voyage and becoming the first littoral combat ship to operate in the Middle East.
The ship and its crew of 75 left Mayport, Florida in April. As part of the U.S. 5th Fleet area, the City of Sioux provided a maritime security presence that allowed the free flow of commerce in major trade corridors.
“We are delighted to have the crew of Sioux City here helping us understand how to integrate the LCS platform into our operations and we are working on all of the ship’s supporting capabilities,” said Captain Robert Francis, commander of Task Force 55 said. Task Force 55 oversees US surface forces operating in the Middle East.
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Coast Guard ships are highly versatile, allowing them to support a variety of fleet missions and operate alongside navies and coast guard forces in the region.
After arriving in the Middle East in May, the city of Sioux operated with the support of Joint Task Force (CTF) 153 and focused on maritime security and partner capacity building in the Red Sea, Bab al -Mandeb and Gulf of Aden. CTF 153 is one of four multinational task forces organized under the Joint Maritime Force, the largest international naval partnership with 34 countries. Led by the United States, the Combined Maritime Force is headquartered in Bahrain along with the US 5th Fleet.
“I am incredibly proud of our Sailors for carrying out every task we were assigned to them,” said Cmdr. Scott Whitworth, commanding officer of the USS Sioux City. “We are ‘building a new frontier’ for coastal warships.”
The city of Sioux was deployed with two MH-60 Seahawk helicopters from the 22nd Marine Combat Helicopter Squadron (HSC).
The US 5th Fleet Area includes 21 countries, the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean, and three key chokepoints at the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb, and the Suez Canal.
