USS Vella Gulf Wins at Sea and On the Court

. USS Vella Gulf Wins at Sea and On the Court

By Journalist 2nd Class Joseph R. Holstead, Commander, Carrier Group 8 Public Affairs

ABOARD USS VELLA GULF, At Sea (NNS) -- Under sunny skies and a cool breeze off the Baltic Sea, USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) and USS Ross (DDG 71) got underway June 9 from Poland's Gdynia Harbor, along with ships, aircraft and military personnel from 12 other nations, which are all participating in Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2003.

One of the first tasks for Vella Gulf after getting underway was to complete a synthetic high-line transfer with the German frigate FGS Lubeck (F 214).

"The high line transfer went well. We had some rough seas, but the crew worked together to make it happen," said Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class John O'Donnell, who was one of the line captains for the evolution.

Operations Specialist 2nd Class Lofette Hampton agreed, as he congratulated his shipmates for a job well done. "It was one of the fastest transfers I've seen. Everyone did great despite the challenging seas," Hampton said.

Hampton was a secondary line captain, acting as a voice for the crew who were working farther away from the crossing point of the transfer. About 60 Vella Gulf Sailors worked together to simulate the transfer of a person from one ship to another. For BALTOPS, instead of a person, Vella Gulf sent over gifts, a gesture that was reciprocated by the Lucbeck.

With Russian ship RFS Nastoychivyy (DDG 610) astern and Swedish Submarine HSWMS Haelsingland off the portside, Sailors from both the United States and German navies waved and took photos, at the completion of the first of several underway evolutions between the nations participating in this year's BALTOPS.

Vella Gulf Sailors, along with those from Ross, also enjoyed success at a multinational athletic competition between participating BALTOPS navies, which took place on June 8 at the Polish Naval Academy in Gdynia.

The combined Ross and Vella Gulf team won the basketball tournament.

"It was a great time and a bonus to hook up with guys from the Ross, to play against sailors from around the world," said Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Jeremy Gipson.

BALTOPS 2003 moves forward with other combined exercises planned through June 23.

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