PHUKET, Thailand – Two US Navy warships carrying more than 5,100 personnel dropped anchor off Phuket on Sunday for a six-day port visit, with thousands of sailors heading ashore for rest and recreation before the vessels depart on Friday.

USS George HW Bush to Bring 5,000 Sailors to Phuket for Six-Day Port Call

The nuclear aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and the guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black anchored about 1.78 nautical miles — roughly 3.3 kilometres — from Phuket Deep Sea Port in tambon Wichit, Muang Phuket district. Together they carry 5,109 personnel, with 4,820 on the carrier and 289 on the destroyer, and 14 local ferries will shuttle them between ship and shore throughout the stay.

Welcoming the ships were Luu Pham, assistant force protection attaché at the US embassy, Pol Col Somsak Thongkliang, chief of Wichit police station, and Adul Raluekmoon, director of the Phuket Regional Marine Office. Police and local agencies have laid on security, traffic management and support for the influx of sailors, who are expected to spend their leave sightseeing and enjoying the island’s attractions.

US Navy Sailors Begin Shore Leave In Pattaya After Record 286 Days At Sea

Authorities finalised security and logistics with US embassy officials last week, reminding personnel to obey Thai law. The USS George H.W. Bush has wrapped up a deployment in the Arabian Sea linked to the conflict with Iran since leaving Norfolk, Virginia, in March. The USS Abraham Lincoln and its escort stopped in Pattaya last month after a similar deployment, a five-day visit local officials estimated pumped about 100 million baht into the economy.

-Thailand News (TN)