ShareThisMANILA – The United States Ship (USS) John Stennis arrived in Manila last Saturday for a four-day “goodwill visit” to further enhance Philippines-U.S. relations.
U.S. embassy officials said the USS Stennis, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier of the U.S. Navy that has a floating airport, docked at Manila Bay at 2 a.m.
The officials added that the visit is to “further enhance the strong historic ties between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines through community relations projects and professional exchanges between the U.S. and Philippine navies.”
The ship, named after U.S. Senator John Stennis, was commissioned by the U.S. government in December 1995. It is set to depart on Tuesday morning, August 30.
Its mission is to conduct combat air operations with its embarked Air Wing consisting of around nine squadrons. The attached aircraft include Navy and Marine F/A-18 Hornet, EA-6B Prowler, MH-60R, MH-60S, and E-2C Hawkeye.