Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang and Gov. Arnold I. Palacios pose for a photo with the USS Hopper’s commanding officer, CDR Corey Millis; executive officer, CDR Andrea Benvenuto; and command master chief, William F. Kalmbach
CDR Andrea Benvenuto gestures toward the vertical launch system cells that carry various missiles aboard the USS Hopper. Behind her is a five-inch gun.
THE officers and crew of the USS Hopper will be on Saipan until Friday for rest and relaxation.
An Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the ship was named for the pioneering computer scientist Rear Adm. Grace Hopper.
On Monday, Feb. 5, the USS Hopper pulled into Tanapag Harbor, bringing with it 325 sailors, most of whom will stay in hotels on Saipan.
The commanding officer, Commander Corey Millis, said his sailors are excited to unwind on island.
“Most of the crew have already made reservations, probably weeks or months ago, because they’ve been looking forward to this trip so much,” Millis told reporters.
This is the first time the USS Hopper has made a stop in the CNMI.
Last week, at a stakeholder meeting with military officials, Gov. Arnold I. Palacios expressed interest in tapping the military as a tourism market.
One of the military officials in the meeting, Rear Adm. Greg Huffman of Joint Region Marianas, said he would actively seek more Navy ships to visit the CNMI. The islands’ tourism industry has yet to fully recover since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
At the press briefing on Monday, the governor reiterated that he wants to see more Navy ships visiting the CNMI.
“This is what we’re talking about,” Palacios said. “[Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang] and I have had these conversations with [the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet], trying to get more sailors into Saipan for a little bit of R&R and Hopper finally made it.”
Palacios said the USS Hopper was scheduled to visit Saipan in November, but “operational issues” caused the ship to reschedule its visit.
Millis said while some of the over 300 sailors must remain on board the vessel to keep it secure, the majority of the crew will be “in the restaurants, and the hotels, and on the beaches.”
He said the USS Hooper is on a six-month regularly scheduled deployment and will spend “lots of time” in the Philippine Sea “patrolling and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The USS Hooper has already been to the Sea of Japan and the South China Sea but has “many more miles to sail” before the deployment ends, Millis said.
Its home port is Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Millis said the ship can serve missions in anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, and ballistic missile defense.
Apatang encouraged the sailors to “come back again, so you’ll have the opportunity to visit the other islands like Tinian and Rota. I’m sure you’ll enjoy our Commonwealth and I hope you’ll enjoy your stay.”
