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The U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) docked at the Port of Mersin on July 10 for a scheduled port visit, marking the first U.S. Navy ship to visit Türkiye in nearly two years.
Vice Adm. J. T. Anderson, commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, said the visit came as part of a planned port call within the fleet's area of operations.
"This port visit marks a significant milestone as we return a U.S. Navy ship to Türkiye for the first time in nearly two years," Anderson said in a statement.
"Our enduring partnership with Türkiye is essential as we collaborate to maintain readiness and ensure stability across the Mediterranean," he noted.
Roosevelt's commanding officer, Cmdr. R. J. DaPrato, thanked Turkish hosts for the visit.
"We are incredibly grateful to our Turkish allies for their generous hospitality in welcoming Roosevelt to Mersin," DaPrato said.
"As a forward-deployed destroyer, our operational readiness relies on strong NATO partnerships like this one, and I could not be prouder of our hardworking crew who make this mission possible every single day," he added.
In a statement issued by the U.S. Consulate in Adana, U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria and Iraq Thomas Barrack Jr. linked the visit to the NATO summit held in Ankara days earlier.
"Great alliances are proven in the day-to-day," Barrack said.
"This week in Ankara, NATO reaffirmed what President Trump and President Erdogan have long understood: Türkiye is not a partner on the margins, it is our valued ally. The USS Roosevelt visiting Mersin is our alliance at work," he stated.
Türkiye has been a NATO ally since 1952 and hosts nearly 2,000 U.S. service members conducting operations ranging from ballistic missile defense to support for anti-Daesh operations, according to the U.S. Consulate's statement.
The USS Roosevelt is the 30th ship in the Arleigh Burke class of Aegis guided-missile destroyers and is named for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor.
The ship's mission is to conduct sustained combat operations at sea in support of U.S. national policy, capable of operating independently or as part of a Carrier Strike Group, Expeditionary Strike Group, or broader naval, joint, or coalition force.
It is equipped with the Aegis Weapons System, an integrated radar and missile system designed to defend simultaneously against air, surface, and subsurface threats.
The ship carries a crew of more than 250.
Roosevelt is one of the forward-deployed destroyers assigned to Commander Task Force 65 as part of U.S. Navy support for NATO's integrated air and missile defense architecture, under Naval Forces Europe and Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF), which is headquartered in Naples, Italy, and has operated in the region for more than 80 years.
The U.S. 6th Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF.
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