U.S. 6th Fleet Flagship Berths At Georgian Port

The USS Mount Whitney, flagship for the Europe-headquartered U.S. 6th Fleet, berthed at Georgia’s Black Sea port of Batumi on October 14.

It is the third port visit to Georgia by the USS Mount Whitney, the U.S. 6th Fleet’s amphibious command and control ship.

The vessel delivered humanitarian aid to the port of Poti in September 2008, watched by Russian troops camped out on shore weeks after the Moscow's five-day war with Georgia.

Russian politicians claimed at the time that it was delivering arms.

The Mount Whitney also visited Georgia in November 2013.

The vessel is expected to conduct routine combined training with the Georgian Coast Guard, provide ship tours, hold a public concert for the local community, and host a reception for local officials, the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi said on October 13.

Based on reporting by civil.ge and apsny.ge