A US Navy destroyer based in Spain has anchored at the Grand Harbour on a four-day visit.

The USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the United States Navy named after the US Secretary of the Navy who served under President Lyndon Johnson from 1967 to 1969.  

Ignatius had previously served as a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II. 

Photo: Jonathan Borg

The vessel is homeported in Rota, Spain, and has been on patrol in the Mediterranean ensuring freedom of navigation, safety and security across the region, the US Embassy said in a statement.

It entered Malta’s Grand Harbor on February 21. While here, the officers and crew enjoyed shore leave and met members of the government, the Armed Forces of Malta and the diplomatic community.  

Photo: Jonathan Borg

"The US and Malta have a shared interest in a stable and secure Mediterranean region, and we look forward to more port calls as the US Navy works to maintain freedom of navigation and protect maritime commerce across the Mediterranean and in the Red Sea," Chargé d’Affaires Ken Toko said.

“My crew and I are grateful for the hospitality of the Maltese people and thrilled to be the latest in a long tradition of US ships calling to the Grand Harbor - a history that includes the USS Constitution," Commander Joseph D Phillips - the commanding officer of the USS Paul Ignatius - said. 

Photo: Jonathan Borg

Photo: Jonathan Borg

Photo: Jonathan Borg

Photo: Jonathan Borg