Photos: USNS Maury: Welcome home - job well done

The following letter was sent to the USNS Maury by the Commander of Military Sealift Command Atlantic, Capt. Janice Smith, U.S. Navy.

1. WELCOME HOME TO CAPTAIN CARMICHAEL, OFFICERS, AND CREW OF USNS MAURY (T-AGS 66). YOUR SAFE RETURN MARKED THE CONCLUSION OF THE SHIP'S FIRST HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL AND DEMANDING TEN-MONTH DEPLOYMENT IN SIXTH FLEET'S AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY, EXECUTING A MYRIAD OF OPERATIONS IN THE BALTIC AND NORTH SEAS.

2. WORKING ALONGSIDE MSCLANT REPRESENTATIVES, MSCEUR, AND MULTIPLE ELEMENTS OF THE US NAVY, THE CREW PERFORMED BRILLIANTLY, WITH STEADFAST UNMOVABLE COMMITMENT IN SUPPORTING HYDROGRAPHIC RESEARCH AND OTHER STRATEGIC MISSIONS IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS.

3. WHILE STEAMING 92,000 NAUTICAL MILES FOR MORE THAN 311 DAYS, MAURY PROVED HER WORTH, SERVING AS A VISIT, BOARD, SEARCH, AND SEIZURE PLATFORM DURING BI-LATERAL TRAINING OPERATIONS.

4. LIKEWISE, YOU ACTED AS GOODWILL AMBASSADORS DURING YOUR PORT VISITS TO ROTA, SPAIN; AZORES, PORTUGAL; AND BRISTOL, ENGLAND; PROVING ONCE AGAIN THAT NAVAL OCEANOGRAPHY SURVEY SHIPS LIKE MAURY ARE CRUCIAL IN OUR NATION'S DIPLOMACY AND IN MAINTAINING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR PARTNER NATIONS.

5. DURING YOUR DEPLOYMENT, A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, CORONA VIRUS 19, RACED ACROSS THE WORLD, ADDING STRESS TO YOUR OVERALL OPERATIONS AND HOMECOMING. DESPITE THE CHALLENGES AND UNCERTAINTIES, MAURY'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS WERE TRULY EXTRAORDINARY IN EVERY WAY AND HAVE ADDED TO THE LONG AND DISTINGUISHED HERITAGE HERE AT MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND. THE ENTIRE CREW SHOULD BE PROUD OF THE ROLE YOU PLAYED.

6. MY BEST WISHES FOR A WELL-DESERVED HOMECOMING WITH YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS. ONCE COVID-19 IS BEHIND US, I LOOK FORWARD TO THANKING THE CREW IN PERSON FOR A JOB WELL DONE.

7. COMMODORE SMITH SENDS

Members of American Maritime Officers working aboard the USNS Maury in May included Third Assistant Engineer McCale Butto, Chief Mate Glen Baumgart, Captain Timothy Carmichael, Third Mate Felix Garcia, Chief Engineer Merrick Brow, Second A.E. John Bimpong, Radio Officer Joseph Waller, First A.E. Keith Bailey and Second Mate Stephen Anderson. Photos courtesy of First Assistant Engineer Keith Bailey