The American torpedo-boat destroyer USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98) moored in the port of Gdansk on Sunday morning. The naval agent serving the ship argues that “this is a routine visit for restocking and rest for the crew.”
“The ship was manned by the pilot at 8:35 am, and at 10:15 am moored in the Gdansk port at the Dworzec Drzewny quay. This is a routine visit to replenish supplies and rest the crew,” Michał Czernow, a maritime agent servicing the ship, told the Polish Press Agency.
There are approximately 380 American sailors on the USS Forrest Sherman board.
Commander Matt Zublic from the US Navy said in an interview with TVN24 that their goal was to mark the American presence in the Baltic Sea.
“We also want to assure our NATO allies that we can react quickly to any potential aggression in the region,” he explained. And he added that the crew “intends to assist the city of Gdańsk in providing humanitarian aid to refugees from Ukraine.”
Michał Czernow said that the American ship is mooring for the first time in the port of Gdańsk.
“Until now, American ships systematically entered Gdynia ports every few months,” he added.
USS Forrest Sherman has, inter alia, guns of various calibre and a rocket launcher. Its task is to conduct airspace defence operations, anti-submarine and surface ships, and strike operations.
The ship, according to the shipping agent, will leave the port of Gdańsk on Wednesday.