After many weeks at sea, we all look forward to pulling into a foreign port. We saw many different countries; Italy, Greece, France, Turkey, and parts of Saudi Arabia.  We usually spend 5 to 10 days in a port, this way every one has an opportunity to get off the ship and visit.

The ship is usually divided in to 3 duty sections, so one third of the ships crew is on duty at all times. The rest  of the crew is on what is called "Liberty". Sailors are encouraged to go off the ship in groups known as the "buddy system", for safety reasons. Some sailors like to stay in the vicinity of the ship, others like to take trains or tours to other nearby cities.

Rank determines how late you can stay out on liberty. E-3 and below have what is called "Cinderella Liberty", meaning they must be back to the ship by midnight. E-4,E-5 have to be back by 1:00 or 2:00 am, E-7 have no time limit. I have a lot of great memories of my time overseas and visited many wonderful places. I will never forget those good times or any of the friends I shared them with. This is our night in France.We had just arrived and planned a trip to Paris, had our tour tickets and everything. Then we were notified that we had to pull out and head over to patrol near Kosovo. We were pretty disappointed, we had big plans for Paris.

We are in Saudi Arabia in this photo, getting ready to go on a tour of the desert and camel riding.