DOD ship makes port call on Saipan

Passengers of the USS Emory S. Land disembark after the vessel docked at the Port of Saipan yesterday. Inset show Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, center, welcoming Capt. Brent Spillner, right, commanding officer for the USS Emory S. Land, and GMC Kevin Barbo, a son of Saipan who was aboard the USS Emory S. Land. (KIMBERLY B. ESMORES)

The CNMI welcomed its first visiting Department of Defense vessel yesterday afternoon, the USS Emory S. Land, which, despite a few setbacks, managed to safely enter the Saipan channel and dock at the Port of Saipan.

The USS Emory S. Land sailed into the Port of Saipan at around 1:30pm yesterday afternoon. It was initially supposed to dock on Saipan at around 11am but, due to some setbacks, its arrival was delayed.

The massive vessel, which is one of only two U.S. Navy submarine tenders, brought in 400 military personnel and 125 civilians, for a total of 525 visitors.

The USS Emory S. Land is expected to remain on the island until May 5, giving its passengers ample time to visit popular historical sites and to conduct training.

Capt. Brent Spillner, commanding officer for the USS Emory S. Land, said in a news briefing interview that he is happy to be back on Saipan for another port call.

“Saipan is just a beautiful place to come. It’s close to home and we get to see another beautiful part of the Marianas. It’s my third time here and I love it every time, so I was pretty motivated to make sure we did this,” he said.

Spillner shared that some of the factors that contributed to their delay were technical issues, but he and his team managed to get them sorted out and managed to dock safely.

“A couple of conditions [caused the delay]. We had a steering system that did not respond exactly the way we expected it to. And Saipan is beautiful, but it was a narrow channel through the reef and so we felt it was safer to make a big circle and make sure we had the situation under control. I was very pleased by the way my team handled it. Everything was OK. The right thing to do was take our time to make sure everything was working 100% and everything is safe as we come in,” he said.

In response to whether the visit ties in with the new administration’s endeavor to pursue military tourism, Spillner said the port call is not specific to the CNMI’s recent pivot away from its China market, but they are happy to know that their visit is welcomed and wanted.

“I can’t comment on that, but I can tell you we have been planning this for a long time. Saipan is a place we love to come to. The Emory S. Land was here early last year so this is something we do routinely. It’s not specifically in response to any changes in political climate, although I’m very happy to hear that they want us here because we love being here,” he said.

A statement from Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang said the ship’s visit to the CNMI is good news as the Commonwealth needs visitors to further stimulate the economy.

“We want to thank Capt. Spillner and his crew for visiting us. We appreciate them stopping by. We’re happy to have the crew offload here and hit the town. We need all the help we can get to further stimulate our economy here. We hope they enjoy themselves here in the CNMI and we encourage them to come back again,” he said.

GMC Kevin Barbo, a son of Saipan who has been serving in the U.S. Navy for the past 10 years, was aboard the USS Emory S. Land and shared his excitement to be home.

“This is my first time to come back to Saipan while in the Navy. I’m overly excited to be back here. My family is here waiting for me, and I’m really excited to be home to represent the Navy,” he said.