Article Posted on : - Mar 17, 2011

The Almirante Juan de Borbón (F-102) frigate. A Spanish Navy photo

MADRID (BNS): Spanish naval frigate Almirante Juan de Borbón (F-102) has returned home after completing an intensive naval training exercise with the US Navy.

The frigate, the second of the four new F-100 class air defence frigates that deploy the Aegis combat system, returned to Spain Wednesday morning after the first phase of deployment off the east of coast of US.

With its 240 crew, the ship had joined the US Naval vessels to conduct the first Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) and Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX).

During the deployment, which began early in January, the frigate, along with the US naval vessels that included the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier George H W Bush and four other American ships, conducted a range of training exercises.

“The intensive training was specifically focused on the defence of all components of the naval force in the east coast of the United States,” the Spanish Navy said.

For 24 days, the ships conducted exercises scheduled for surface warfare, anti-submarine, anti-aircraft and maintenance of the surface situation, the Navy said.

The naval frigate also collaborated with the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S), the US body responsible for coordinating international effort against drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and eastern Pacific.

During its deployment, Almirante Juan de Borbón also visited several ports including Norfolk, Mayport and Cape Canaveral in the US and San Juan, Puerto Rico and the port of Funchal in Portugal.