Turkish Warship Joins CTF 151 Counterpiracy Mission

News from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet Combined Maritime Forces.
Dispatches from the Front:

USS MONTEREY, At Sea, Feb. 27, 2009 -- The Turkish frigate TCG Giresun (F-491) joined Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 yesterday and began conducting counterpiracy operations in the Gulf of Aden alongside other Coalition naval forces.

“Bringing another professional navy into the fold is going to make it even more difficult for the pirates to operate out here,” said Rear Adm. Terence McKnight, commander, CTF 151. “Giresun and her crew will add even more experience and manpower to a very robust counterpiracy mission. We’re making life very difficult for those looking to disrupt the free flow of commerce in the area.”

Commanded by Capt. Cenk Dalkanat, Giresun joins CTF 151’s flagship USS Monterey (CG 61), the Danish flexible support ship HDMS Absalon (L 16), and other ships from the U.S. and U.K., which have conducted operations as part of the task force.

“Having the ability to call upon several ships sailing under different flags is a unique and extremely useful tool in our belt,” said Cmdr. James Harlan, afloat operations officer, CTF 151. “It gives us a wide array of experiences, a lot of flexibility and allows us to cover a lot more water space. The coordination between our ships is a key to the success of our task force.”

CTF 151 is a multinational task force that conducts counter-piracy operations in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea and was established to create a lawful maritime order and develop security in the maritime environment.

(Report by Lt. John Fage, Combined Task Force 151 Public Affairs.)

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