U.S. battle group makes port call in Hong Kong en route to Middle East - Photos

AP Via Yahoo ^ | 11/22/2002 | ELAINE KURTENBACH

[SAMWolf]

HONG KONG - A U.S. battle group led by the aircraft carrier USS Constellation arrived in Hong Kong on Friday for a four-day port call on its way to the Middle East amid a warming of military relations with China, despite Beijing's wariness over possible war with Iraq.

The battle group includes the guided-missile destroyers USS Higgins and USS Milius, guided-missile cruisers USS Valley Forge and USS Bunker Hill, the guided-missile frigate USS Thach and the combat support ship USS Rainier.

The port calls were approved by China's central government, which oversees Hong Kong's foreign and military affairs.

U.S.-China military relations appear to be improving after recent strains. Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said Thursday that the two sides were seeking to finalize an agreement on resuming military exchanges, reached during a summit between Chinese President Jiang Zemin and U.S. President George W. Bushlast month.

"The most important agreement reached was to resume military exchanges, including port calls and consultations at the ministerial level," Kong said.

As a step in that direction, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said Friday that the USS Paul F. Foster, a destroyer in the U.S. Seventh Fleet operating in the western Pacific, would arrive Sunday in the eastern Chinese port of Qingdao.

The visit will be the first port call to mainland China by a U.S. Navy ship since military ties were ruptured following the collision of a Washington state-based Navy spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet in April 2001.

The Hong Kong Security Bureau has said the Constellation will leave Wednesday, followed two days later by the carrier USS Kitty Hawk, which is due to leave Dec. 3. The Kitty Hawk, fresh from military exercises in Japan, will be accompanied by the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur and Spruance-class destroyer USS O'Brien.

The Rainier will remain behind to accompany the Kitty Hawk group, the Security Bureau said. Its destination was not disclosed — since the Sept. 11 terror attacks in New York and Washington, U.S. officials have become more cautious about discussing movements of warships.

The visits will bring more than 11,000 U.S. crew members into Hong Kong — long a favored port of call in the region.

Beijing has shown a growing willingness to accommodate U.S. interests since Sept. 11, 2001, regardless of occasional flare-ups of tensions over perennial sore points, such as Taiwan, trade and human rights.

Despite the resumption of military ties with Washington, China is wary of using force against Iraq and as a veto-holding member of the U.N. Security Council pushed for a "political solution." Chinese officials have not said whether Beijing is among the countries the United States has lobbied for military backing in case of war. China has never contributed armed military peacekeepers to any U.N. operation.

[SAMWolf]

Two tug boats appear dwarfed by The US Navy's USS Constellation aircraft carrier anchored off the Hong Kong shore shortly after arriving in the territory for a routine four-day port call on Friday, Nov. 22, 2002. The USS Constellation leads a U.S. battle group on its way to the Middle East amid a warming of military relations with China, despite Beijing's wariness over possible war with Iraq. (AP Photo/Anat Givon)

Sailors play football on the deck of the US Navy's USS Constellation aircraft carrier, anchored off the Hong Kong shore shortly after arriving in the territory for a routine four-day port call on Friday, Nov. 22, 2002. The USS Constellation leads a U.S. battle group on its way to the Middle East amid a warming of military relations with China, despite Beijing's wariness over possible war with Iraq. (AP Photo/Anat Givon

A crew member jogs between fighter jets on the deck of the U.S. Navy's USS Constellation after the aircraft carrier arrived in Hong Kong for a routine four-day port call on Friday, Nov. 22, 2002. (AP Photo/Anat Givon)

A crew members perform maintenance tasks as another jogs between fighter jets on the deck of the U.S. Navy (news - web sites)'s USS Constellation after the aircraft carrier arrived in Hong Kong for a routine four-day port call on Friday, Nov. 22, 2002.

[SAMWolf]

A crew member performs maintenance tasks on one of the fighter jets aboard the U.S. Navy's USS Constellation after the aircraft carrier arrived in Hong Kong for a routine four-day port call on Friday, Nov. 22, 2002.

Servicemen walk in between fighter jets on board U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Constellation as the battle group visits Hong Kong November 22, 2002. The USS Constellation, together with six smaller warships arrived on Friday until November 27 as another aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk and three smaller warships will call from November 29 to December 3, in another sign of warmer relations between the United States and China. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

Servicemen play rugby on board U.S. Navy (news - web sites) aircraft carrier USS Constellation as the battle group visits Hong Kong November 22, 2002.

A serviceman jogs on board U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Constellation in front of another U.S. warship as the battle group visits Hong Kong November 22, 2002.

A boat sails past U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Constellation, regarded as 'America's Flagship', as the battle group visits Hong Kong November 22, 2002.

Bar employees dressed as a Chinese soldier and a cowgirl hand out leaflets encouraging American sailors to visit bars in Hong Kong on Friday, Nov. 22, 2002, shortly after the USS Constellation aircraft carrier arrived in the territory for a four-day port call.

[AppyPappy]

A crew member performs maintenance tasks on one of the fighter jets aboard the U.S. Navy's USS Constellation

Hmmm....must be the new S-3 interceptor

[Soaring Feather]

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Constellation

WOW fabulous picture of the Constellation!!!!

[SAMWolf]

Yeah.

Those reporters don't know their a$$ from a hole in the ground. If it's military it's a fighter to them.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Bentfeather.

[Shermy]

"Bars." Hmmm...

Wonder if the lady at the bottom does an striptease adaptation of "The East Is Red".

[andy_card]

Servicemen play rugby on board U.S. Navy (news - web sites) aircraft carrier USS Constellation as the battle group visits Hong Kong November 22, 2002.

Rugby? Lol. Any US Servicemember caught playing rugby should be courtmartialed. American games only, please. What's next? Cricket on the White House lawn? I've had enough sticky wickets, thank you.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Great post!

(But is it football or rugby?)

[SAMWolf]

Do yoOu get the feeling the reporter is a Brit?

[AppyPappy]

With either, it's going to hurt when they fall down.

[Bodacious]

Probably a version of COMBAT BASKETBALL.......The CorpMen always loved it when we played.......never had less then 20% out for injuries.

[SpookBrat]

Thank you SAM for keeping us posted on what's going on with our troops. I look forward everyday to what you will bring us. I have been since I met you. The photo's of our troops are always some of the highlights in my day.

[andy_card]

It could be rugby, its pretty popular among some college-aged fellows. And if it is rugby, those bastards need to be courtmartialed. Football. Football. Football.

[aomagrat]

I was last in Hong Kong in 1992. Had a great liberty. Fond memories of Ned Kelly's Last Stand and the Kangaroo Pub. I also got locked in a... hmmm... house and had to spend the night.

[SAMWolf]

I also got locked in a... hmmm... house and had to spend the night.

Bummer, LOL!

[Bobby777]

hehe ... correct ... I guess they could use the S-3's for ECM or observation? ... I don't think Saddam has too many subs ... hehe

[ctonious]

An AP photographer couldn't tell an S-3 from a P-3 from an E-3. For fun, you could ask them how many rotors each of them have.

Anyway, when I lived in Hong Kong as a dependent while my father was stationed at the embassy, the sight of a US carrier coming into view across Repulse Bay (Back of Hong Kong Island) was something to behold. There were only about 3-4000 Americans living in Hong Kong at the time, as opposed to 400,000 Brits and 4.5 million Chinese. But when the USS Enterprise came to town, all of us walked a little taller down in Central.

I also have blurry memories of Ned Kelly's, Thingummies, and the Jockey Club. As well as our Hong Kong International School beating the Brits at their own game of rugby. Our trick was to wing the ball all the way cross field as soon as it was extricated from the scrum, away from the bunched-up Brits gravitating around the scrum. Americans are the only ones that know how to handle a ball with their hands - Europeans and everybody else use their feet. They couldn't comprehend that a ball could be thrown so far. "Goblimey!", they'd say, "lookit THAT!"

[SAMWolf]

Our trick was to wing the ball all the way cross field as soon as it was extricated from the scrum, away from the bunched-up Brits gravitating around the scrum. Americans are the only ones that know how to handle a ball with their hands - Europeans and everybody else use their feet. They couldn't comprehend that a ball could be thrown so far. "Goblimey!", they'd say, "lookit THAT!"

Gotta love good old American ingenuity.

[Cobra64]

Great photos. I'd love to work on that ship; even in the kitchen, since I'm a reired 52 year old guy with too much time on his hands. Does the military outsource certain tasks / responsibilities to civilians? I'm a frustrated military wannabee.