"It is such an honor for Maine and the town of St. Croix to host a Navy ship. This visit will add a unique naval experience for all visitors to the Quadricentennial festivities," said Senator Collins. "This is also a homecoming of sorts for the Doyle. She is returning to the state where she was built and launched. So, visitors will also be able to celebrate and get a first-hand glimpse of this modern product of Maine's rich shipbuilding history."
The Doyle was built at Bath Iron Works and launched from Bath in May 1982. It is an Oliver Hazard Perry Guided Missile Fast Frigate class ship, the Navy's most numerous class of ships since World War II. Doyle has completed four Mediterranean deployments, two Persian Gulf deployments, a UNITAS deployment, and a Standing Naval Forces Atlantic cruise. The crew also participated in Counter Drug Operations in the Caribbean Sea, during which they confiscated more than six tons of cocaine.
Senator Collins is a Member of the Seapower Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee and made the request to the U.S. Navy earlier this year for a ship visit to the St. Croix festival.
In her request to Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Vernon Clark, Senator Collins explained that this year's celebration is a significant event, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the 1604-1605 French Settlement of St. Croix Island Maine, the first French colony north of Florida and the beginning of the permanent French presence in North America.
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