Five warships visit Halifax for intensive training exercises

A standing NATO Maritime group is visiting Halifax with five warships from the United States, Germany and Turkey this week.

They will join five Canadian ships next week to begin the first of many intensive training exercises in the Western Atlantic.

The ship the Leyte Gulf, built in 1987 at a cost of one billion dollars, will be the flagship.

It is a missile cruiser that is capable of carrying a number of different kinds of missiles.

“In total, 120 cells can carry several different types of missiles,” says Ens John Stevens from the USS Leyte Gulf. “Navy standard missiles, tomahawk, land attack, and sea sparrow.”

“So we have a 50 Cal, an M-240, we can carry torpedo’s and hellfire missiles,” says UHH Leyte Gulf Helicopter Pilot Lieutenant Commander Mike Perez

Exercises for these vessels begin on Tuesday, August 4^th.