Rescue at Sea 1: Meetup

On Wednesday, May 17, 2006, USS VELLA GULF (CG 72), a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser sailed from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, bound for Karlshamn, Sweden, a city on the Baltic Sea, to join up and represent the United States in exercise BALTOPS 2006; an international exercise between the United States Navy and navies of the Baltic States, including Russia.

VELLA GULF sailed on the morning tide, and then reaching the open ocean 3 1/2 hours later, loitered off the coast of Virginia for the Oliver Hazard Perry class guided missile frigate USS ROBERT G. BRADLEY (FFG 49) to rendezvous 50 miles east of Assateague island. ROBERT G. BRADLEY had sailed the previous day from Naval Station Mayport, Florida, and was also bound for Sweden.

ROBERT G. BRADLEY's commanding officer reported for duty to my cruiser captain (who was senior). As the sun set over the Old Dominion State, the two put North America off their stern and steamed east into the open ocean. Sometime after midnight, 68 miles from the resort strip on Virginia Beach, the two passed off the edge of the continental shelf. In the span of 25 miles, the ocean goes from less than 300 feet deep to more than 5,000 feet deep.

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