InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
A nuclear-powered submarine from the United States is expected to arrive in Subic Bay in Zambales for a "routine port call" on Monday, the United States Embassy said.
In an advisory, the US Embassy said the arrival of the USS Louisville (SSN 724) "highlights the strong historic, community, and militaryconnections between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines."
"This visit will allow the ship to replenish supplies as well as givethe crew an opportunity for rest and relaxation," the advisory added.
The USS Louiseville is a Los Angeles-class, nuclear-powered fast attack submarine.
It is the fourth US ship to bear the name in honor of the city of Louisville, Kentucky. The USS Louisville was commissioned on November 8, 1986 at the Naval Submarine Base, New London, Connecticut.
The advisory did not indicate how long the submarine will stay in Subic.
The militant group Bayan (Bagong Alyansang Makabayan) questioned the "routine port calls" of US ships in Subic and expressed concern thatthese visits would transform Subic into a "military hub."
Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. claimed that these "routineport calls" were a "rebalancing of forces being done by the US,"adding that the US plans to shift 60 percent of its warships towards Asia in the next 10 years.
"The USS Louiseville is the second nuclear-powered submarine to dock in Subic this year, after the USS North Carolina. The US bases areback, under a different facade and different terms," Reyes said. InterAksyon.com
