The African Partnership Station Submarine

We heard about the USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) and the HSV Swift supporting the African Partnership Station off west Africa, but now we are learning that the US Navy also has a submarine assigned to this Global Fleet Station.

Africa Partnership Station (APS) gave six Ghanaian military officers from Western Naval Command a tour of three Navy vessels Nov. 30 when they embarked Amphibious Dock Landing Ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), and the Los Angeles class submarine USS Annapolis (SSN 760), the submarine accompanying APS. The group also embarked a Landing Craft Unit Utility from Assault Craft Unit TWO.

The visit was organized as part of APS' visit to Takoradi, Ghana. In keeping with the Chief of Naval Operations' Maritime Strategy for building trust and increasing collaboration among partners, Annapolis was participating in an information sharing event, designed to bolster the maritime domain awareness of APS partner countries in the region.

Annapolis' participation in APS marks the first time a U.S. Navy submarine has been used as a 'partnership platform' to conduct personnel and information exchanges, and is another example of how the international community is collaborating in creative ways with African partners to achieve common goals regarding maritime safety and security, and stability.

This is a strange merge of naval theories between Mike Burleson and I, two guys who look to the future of the Navy with different metrics. Mike has advocate for an all submarine Navy in the past, where if I was going to make a major force structure change, I would build VLS or AGS armed LPD/LSD motherships instead of a Sea Base and DDG-1000.

Global Fleet Stations is said to represent the Maritime Strategy for the 21st century about as well as any new concept the Navy has put out so far in the 21st century. Apparently, as if there is any doubt otherwise, the USS Annapolis (SSN 760) is proving there will be plenty of room for submarines to contribute in the 21st century.