United States Ship Visit, Part Two

The ship docks, media swarms, time for a press conference.

Addressing the crowd.

Translation time.

Once everyone has his or her soundbites, time for a little tour around the ship. How to stand out from the uniformity? Slap a Chicago Bears logo to your hard hat. Nice touch.

Meaning business on the deck. Down below, an overflow of electronics still make room for an analog grease board and old fashioned bell. 

We doubt these phones have call waiting.

United States Ship Visit, Part One

A standard U.S. State Department activity is sometimes military-related. Maybe an Army exercise. If you're in a country with water access, a ship visit is inevitable. Recently, the USS Destroyer Donald Cook paid a visit to Lithuania, docking at Klaipėda, on the Baltic Sea. The event would have been of mild interest except for a confrontation worthy of the Cold War that occurred a few days before the ship's arrival. Just another day in Eastern Europe, a little Russian fighter plane tango.

Waiting. The view of the Curonian spit from the port.

Destroyer sighting.

Shooters and shooters.

Flying the colors. Texas and POW flags are added to the mix.

Band greeting and reverse shot.

The VIPs meet.