Guided-missile destroyer makes port call on Saipan

Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, extreme left, and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, third from left, pose for a photo with newly installed Joint Region Marianas commander Rear Adm. Gregory C. Huffman, second from left, and USS John Finn commanding officer Matthew Hays at the Port of Saipan yesterday. USS John Finn, a missile-guided destroyer ship, is making a port call on Saipan. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)

Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang welcomed yesterday the captain and crew of the USS John Finn, a guided-missile destroyer, that made a port call on Saipan.

USS John Finn, which is under commanding officer Matthew Hays, docked at the Port of Saipan Sunday. It will be leaving in the next couple of days.

Newly installed Joint Region Marianas commander Rear Adm. Gregory C. Huffman and Hays toured Palacios and Apatang aboard USS John Finn.

Huffman officially took command of Joint Region Marianas, U.S. Naval Forces Marianas and Task Force West last June 21. He is now the senior military official of the U.S. Pacific Command in the CNMI, Guam, and Republic of Palau.

After disembarking from the vessel, Palacios said they continue to welcome members of U.S. military to Saipan. “Hopefully, we will see more of these visits in the near future,” he added.

The governor welcomed back Hays, who was here on Saipan 19 years ago, and is now is the commanding officer of this guided-missile destroyer.

Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang said they always welcome visitors and friends from the U.S. Navy.

“I’m so happy to see them come and spend their time here on our beautiful island of Saipan. As you see, a lot of them are going around the island, patronizing a lot of our businesses today,” Apatang said. He said he is sure that the visitors are going to enjoy being at the Liberation Day celebration today, Tuesday.

Apatang said it’s good to see friends from the military joining the CNMI on every occasion. “It’s always good to see them come to the beautiful island of Saipan. We’re looking forward to seeing a lot of them in the future,” he said.

Apatang thanked Huffman, Hays, and his crew for spending their time on Saipan for a few days.

Huffman said he is excited to be here and he believes this is a critical indicator of how they are postured in this part of the world.

“Getting the opportunity to bring one of our latest and newest destroyers to come to a port visit here on Saipan is incredibly exciting,” he said.

Huffman said that getting the opportunity to share in the Liberation Day celebrations over the next few days is a tremendous opportunity for them and the crew to really explore what they are doing in this part of the world.

“I think the CNMI is absolutely a critical portion of the entire region in how we are posturing our forces, how we are able to both protect the United States territory and get a chance to expand what we’re doing throughout the region,” he said.

Huffman said USS John Finn is one of their newest ships deployed to the area and will be operating in this area for the next seven or eight years.

He said the CNMI is part of their defense initiatives as they move forward in the region. He said USS John Finn is an example of their robust posture for their forces across the Pacific.

Huffman said he has been to this region many times in the past and, as they are changing their military posture, they are working closely with all the communities and environmental partners in the region to ensure that everything is taken into account.

“I think it’s really important that we have a robust military presence throughout the region, across all of the islands,” he said.

As the U.S. military continues to ramp up its presence in the region and work through their environmental procedures, Huffman said they will continue to work with community partners to ensure that everything that is done is in accordance with what is in the best interest for everybody.

Part of that vision is for more military ship visits to Saipan, Huffman said. He said he would love to see more and more opportunities for warships like the USS John Finn to get the chance to come here to this island—both to give the crew a chance to have a break, but also to get a chance to appreciate the culture and the rich heritage of the CNMI.

Huffman said he will be working closely with Pacific Fleet commanders about getting more of their ship to visit Saipan and throughout the region.

Huffman said getting a chance to bring USS John Finn here as a visible sign of what they have throughout the region is important.

Hays said he is excited to be here on Saipan for its 77th celebration of Liberation Day and that the crew is also excited to be here—a getting to do things that they do in the United States that they don’t get to do in foreign ports.

“It’s great to be here in the Northern Mariana Islands. And we are excited to be here. Great weather and looking forward to the parade and some of the festivities that are happening here. Thank you for hosting us and having us here,” Hays said.

He said USS John Finn is one of the latest guided missile destroyers of the U.S. Navy. The ship is homeported out of Yokosuka, Japan.

“So we live in the region. And our job out here is just to make sure that we continue to [keep] the free and open Indo-Pacific out here,” Hays said. “We work and live in the region so we’re always out in the area.”

He said his first visit to Saipan was in 2004 during his early naval career, during the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Saipan and Tinian.

There are approximately 315 people aboard the ship.