Information about the ship's arrival is contained in a statement from the Embassy of the United States of America (USA) in Angola.
"The Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary maritime base USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (ESB 4) arrived in Luanda, Angola, for a regular visit to the port, on November 2, 2022", reads the note to which the VerAngola had access.
The note also notes that, during the visit, the vessel will host a reception to "continue to build relationships with senior government officials and Angolan military personnel while the crew participates in acts of community service alongside sailors from the Angolan Navy".
Captain Michael E. Concannon, the ship's commander, said that after "a long period of time at sea" working together with Angolans, they are pleased to be able to build partnerships with this visit.
"After a long period of time at sea where we worked side by side with our Angolan partners in the maritime exercise Grand African NEMO, we are pleased to have the opportunity to build this partnership with a port visit to Luanda", he said.
Cited in the statement, the official said that the crew "is looking forward" to disembarking and learning about Angolan culture: "My crew is looking forward to the opportunity to disembark and learn about Angolan culture while enjoying the food, views and sounds of Luanda".
It should be noted that this is not the first time this ship has visited Angolan waters. The last time "Woody" Williams was in Luanda was in September last year.
"Angola is an important partner of the United States in the promotion of peace and security in Africa", indicates the note, which also adds that "the US works closely with Angola in maritime security and in raising awareness of the maritime domain".
"Additionally, Angola participated in the March 2022 Obangame Express exercise, a multinational maritime exercise sponsored by the US African Command. These exercises strengthen partnerships and allow countries to work more closely on shared transnational maritime challenges," the statement said.
According to Angop, the sharing of experiences between national and American sailors will take place over three days.
Furthermore, Angop said, for this Thursday afternoon (4:00 pm) a guided visit is planned for a restricted group of journalists.
