USS Carney Comes Back Home

This return marks the end of 212 days away from homeport, 170 of which were spent at sea. Since its departure from Mayport, Florida on November 5, 2007, Carney has operated with forces from Yemen, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Germany, Bahrain, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan.

After departing Mayport and crossing the Atlantic Ocean, Carney passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and proceeded to Spain, where the crew enjoyed liberty in the capital city of Barcelona. A few days later, Carney departed for Valletta, Malta for some relaxing time in port before proceeding to the Suez Canal. On Thanksgiving Day, during its transit to the Suez, Carney rescued fourteen Algerian sailors adrift in the Mediterranean Sea. Sharing a traditional Thanksgiving meal prepared by the Culinary Specialists, Carney remained on station with the vessel until the Cagliari Coast Guard arrived on scene.

After transiting though the Canal on Nov. 30, Carney began maritime security operations in support of Pulsed Operations ARGO Lacoon. Carney was inport Manama, Bahrain for Christmas, allowing the crew a chance to take advantage of the amenities provided by the nearby Naval base. By New Years, Carney was underway in support of Focused Operations ARGO IDEFIX in the Gulf of Oman. Focused Operations ARGO IDEFIX brought Carney to the Gulf of Aden for anti-human smuggling operations. Efforts to deter smugglers included MIO boardings and approaches conducted by Carney's Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team with the assistance of the Yemen Coast Guard.

In January, Carney traveled north through the Suez Canal for a brief stop for fuel in Souda Bay, Crete. Less than a week later, Carney again left the waters of the Mediterranean and proceeded to the North Arabian Sea to participate in Focused Operations ARGO CANTHOS anti-drug smuggling operations. During the exercise, Carney was detached and directed to head south to the Horn of Africa in support of anti-piracy operations involving the merchant vessel Svitzer Korsakov.

After thirty-nine consecutive days underway, Carney moored in Safaga, Egypt at the end of February for Exercise Eagle Salute, a bilateral exercise designed to promote interoperability and tactical proficiency between USN and Egyptian forces. The eight day exercise included both inport and at-sea phases involving USS Carney, USS Ingraham, ENS Mubarak, ENS Zafer, ENS El Agamy, and USCG LEDET 105.

On Feb. 29, Carney received news that it was the recipient of the coveted Battle Effectiveness (Battle "E") Award for Destroyer Squadron 24. Carney was also the only ship in the Atlantic Fleet to win the Battle "E" and an excellence award in the categories of Maritime Warfare, Engineering/Survivability, Command and Control, Logistics Management, Ship Safety, and Efficiency Excellence.

After a short underway, Carney moored in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and embarked the staff of Destroyer Squadron 26 in preparation for Exercise Indigo Serpent. Exercise Indigo Serpent, a bilateral tactical surface exercise, was designed as a Theater Security Cooperation engagement between the US Navy and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. HMS Yunbou, HMS Hafouf, and HMS AL Dammam worked with Carney and Ingraham to increase the tactical proficiency of both nations. At the completion of the exercise, Carney rejoined Focused Operations ARGO CANTHOS followed by a port visit to Salalah, Oman for two days of liberty. En route to Oman, Carney was reunited with Svitzer Korsakov and provided assistance to the mariners aboard the vessel after the tug was released from pirates off the Somali coast on March 18.

April found Carney proceeding south to the Seychelles. On the way to Victoria, Seychelles, Carney crossed the equator and celebrated with a traditional "Crossing the Line" ceremony, inducting new members into the ranks of the Trusty Shellbacks. While anchored in the Indian Ocean outside the port of Victoria, Seychelles, members of the crew enjoyed liberty in the tropical climate and participated in a community relations project at a boy's orphanage on the island.

At the completion of the visit, Carney was back underway and headed to Fujairah, United Arab Emirates for the commencement of Exercise Arabian Shark and Ship ASW Readiness Effectiveness Measuring (SHAREM) 157. Exercise Arabian Shark, a multi-lateral ASW exercise, was combined with SHAREM 157 to provide a multi-faceted, site specific ASW exercise focused on development and evaluation of tactics to counter submarine threats in the NAVCENT AOR. USS Philippine Sea, a US SSN, the RBNS Sabha from Bahrain, the PNS Badr from Pakistan, aircraft from the United Arab Emirates, and the RFA Bayleaf from the United Kingdom all participated in the exercise under the direction of Destroyer Squadron 26.

Carney left Fujairah late in April to join the maritime-interdiction oriented Focused Operations SEA Goldie, and after an underway replenishment with the Japanese auxiliary ship JS Oumi, it proceeded north to transit the Suez Canal for the last time during its deployment.

During May, Carney enjoyed port visits in Corfu, Greece and Rijeka, Croatia. While in Rijeka, Croatia, Carney participated in Exercise Adriatic Shield, a Croatian hosted and developed multilateral proliferation security initiative course incorporating surface assets from Croatia and the United States. Forces from Bosnia, Italy, and Slovenia also participated in the two-day exercise. After a short underway, Carney moored for liberty in Malaga, Spain during its last port visit before its trans-Atlantic voyage home. Carney's last mission was before returning to homeport was a Unit Level Training Assessment for Sustainment (ULTRA S) held from May 25-27.