‘USS Bulkeley’ arrives at Rota Naval Base

On the morning of Wednesday, August 17th, a poignant ceremony took place at Rota Naval Base to welcome the United States Navy destroyer ‘USS Bulkeley’, whose arrival completes the first rotation of the units of that class in Rota. The US contingent is therefore made up by the following ships: ‘USS Roosevelt’, ‘USS Arleigh Burke’, ‘USS Paul Ignatius’ and the recently arrived ‘USS Bulkeley’.

The maritime ceremonial contemplates that warships in a foreign port hoist a courtesy flag of the host country, and on this occasion it was admiral Michael M. Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) of the US Navy, a post equivalent to our Chief of Staff of the Spanish Navy (AJEMA), who wanted to raise the Spanish flag for the first time on the signal mast of the ‘USS Bulkeley’, thus giving a special relevance to this act in which he was accompanied by the Spanish Fleet Commander, admiral Eugenio Diaz del Rio. Previously, both admirals held a brief working meeting at the Fleet Headquarters.

The presence of the four US Navy destroyers at Rota Naval Base was agreed in 2012 as part of the framework Agreement on Defense Cooperation signed by Spain and the United States on December 1st 1988. The arrival of these ships has increased and improved interoperability with Spanish Navy units through continued participation in individual and joint training exercises.