A United States Navy ship involved in a joint effort to take back Libyan cities from Islamic State forces visited Malta and is set to leave harbour on Monday. The operation, dubbed “Odyssey Lightning,” saw the US and Libyan governments collaborate to take back the city of Sert from ISIS forces.
Commander Peter Halvorsen.The USS Carney conducted battlefield illumination, providing light for marines conducting airstrikes, allowing them to close in and retake the city.
Based in Rota, Spain, the ship was originally assigned for the Phased Adaptive Approach, a US initiative against long-range ballistic missile threats and to deploy protection of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies.
Speaking to the Times of Malta, Commander Peter Halvorsen said the ship is multi-mission capable, doing everything from ballistic missile defence and humanitarian assistance to natural disaster relief.
The ship is “essentially a small town or a small city,” Commander Halvorsen said.
“We need to have everything that a town needs, including our own fire department, catering service, laundry and all the essentials to keep a city functioning.”
But the USS Carney is still primarily a warship, he noted, with sailors involved in maintaining the missile launchers or looking for air contacts that might be approaching the ship.
“Over a dozen different specialties exist on board the ship,” Commander Halvorsen said.
The USS Carney last called at a Maltese harbour seven years ago.
The visit allowed the 300-strong crew to have a few days of rest, where they toured the islands and worked with the Armed Forces of Malta.
The ship can operate for 72 straight days before it needs to be refuelled with small boats passing through to replenish their supply of food and water weekly, Commander Halvorsen said.
Six torpedoes lie below the ship and missiles line the front of the USS Carney.
Equipped with the Aegis combat system, the ship is integrated with a complex missile and surface radar which uses computer technology to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets.
The system was developed by the American army in 1992 and is now used by the Spanish, Norwegian and Korean navy.
