KOTA KINABALU: Sabah was USS Comstock’s (LSD 45) second of three port visits planned on its transit back to homeport San Diego, and after five months at sea, it is by far the crew’s best port visit.
And it cannot be helped that the other countries that USS Comstock had visited had paled in comparison, because it was here that the crew were given the opportunity to experience some outdoor activities that Sabah has to offer, which included white-water rafting, scuba diving and even scaling the State’s very gem, the Mount Kinabalu.
“As we were pulling in, we were already amazed by the beautiful scenery,” said Cmdr. Scott T. Tasin, the commanding officer of the USS Comstock, when met during a media tour to the ship, moored at the Sepanggar Navy Base, here yesterday.
“It’s been an overall great visit. I have a very good crew, who worked really hard for the past five months so it’s good to see them being able to enjoy some and relax.
“This is by far the best port visit since our deployment. As we transit and leave here, the tour experiences has been great, the food is great, the culture is great, and it’s probably the friendliest group of people we’ve met in all our port visits,” commented Tasin.
Tasin disclosed that there are approximately 400 sailors (Navy) and about 400 marines on board the 609ft-long dock landing ship, which arrived in Sepanggar on January 22.
The 25-year-old vessel, said Tasin, is an amphibious assault ship, carrying marines and navy crew for missions, including humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and bilateral exercises with other countries.
The USS Comstock carries two units of the landing craft utilities (LCUs), military assets including armoured Humvees and other fighting vehicles. Its armaments include two units of RAMs (rolling airframe missiles), the CIWS (close-in weapon system), as well as four units of Nulkas and six units of the Chaffs for decoy weapons.
Comstock, part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, is on deployment with the 11th MEU to promote peace and freedom of the seas by providing security and stability in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.
The port visit to Sepanggar Naval Base marked the second stop for USS Comstock since departing the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO) on January 9, where she spent the last four months participating in a number of amphibious and interoperability exercises before transitioning to the U.S. 7th Fleet AOO.
It was USS Comstock’s second visit to the State after an integrated operation between Malaysia and the United States Amphibious Exercise in Malaysia from August to September 2, last year, which consisted of combined security forces training, civil engineering and construction, and humanitarian services such as the Medical and Dental Civic Action Program, where both teams trained side-by-side in an effort to enrich the local community and reinforce regional and international security.
The nine-day long exercise, code-named MALUS AMPHEX, spanned from the Sulu Sea to the eastern beaches of Malaysia, aiming to help fortify the relationship between Malaysia and U.S. forces.