ABOARD USS KEARSARGE—U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge is taking part in international training in the Baltic Sea amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and tensions in the region.
The Kearsarge is the first ship of the Wasp class to take part in international training in the Baltic in at least two decades. Associated Press journalists visited the ship last week.
“It’s a first off for us in recent memory and it’s been very exciting,” said Capt. Tom Foster, the commanding officer of the Kearsarge.
Deck personnel walks next to a MH-60S Seahawk on the flight deck of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), operating in the Baltic Sea on Sept. 2, 2022. (Michal Dyjuk/AP Photo)
With some other U.S. Navy ships, the Kearsarge has been training for several months with the militaries of Sweden and Finland, which formally applied to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24….