US Warship On Its Way To Nigeria Today

The United States (US) Coast Guard Warship donated to the Nigeria Navy will leave the US for Nigeria today.

The warship will set from Alameda, California, to Nigeria, the North America correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has reported. The vessel, designed as a “high endurance” cutter, with a crossing range of 9,600 miles at 20 knots, was donated to Nigeria by the US on May 13. The ship also has an 80-foot flight deck, capable of handling navy helicopters and can undertake extended patrol missions.

Its capabilities are enhanced by advanced air search and surface search radars, including the AN/SPS-73 digital surface radar system that incorporates a state-of-the-art computerised collision avoidance system. 

A ceremony for the departure has been scheduled to take place at  the Coast Guard Island, in Alameda, where it was docked. The warship is expected to enhance the seaworthiness of the Nigerian Navy and make it well prepared to effectively police, not only the Nigerian territorial waters, but the entire West African coast.

The warship was commissioned to the US Navy in 1968, but was later de-commissioned on March 29, after it had participated in some UN missions in enforcing maritime treaties. NAN learnt that the ship had not left for Nigeria because the Nigerian crew was undertaking training on it, while rehabilitation work was being carried out, though it had been renamed Nigeria Navy Thurder F90.

Source: Nigerian Tribune