US Navy submarine docks in Subic Bay

The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Louisville (SSN 724) shown here at Fleet Activities Yokosuka during a regular scheduled port visit. Photo: US Embassy

A fast-attack submarine of the United States Navy arrived in Subic Bay, Zambales for a brief port call, the United States Embassy announced Tuesday in a press statement.

The embassy said the visit of the USS Louisville, a Los Angeles-class submarine, highlights the strong community and military ties of the Philippines and the US.

The crew of the USS Louisville will have community service projects and sporting events during the course of their visit.

The vessel will also undergo minor maintenance works with help from Filipino companies.

The USS Louisville is forward-deployed to the US 7th Fleet which supports the security and stability of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

The submarine was first commissioned in November 1986, with Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as its home port.

The Visiting Forces Agreement states that elements of the US Armed Forces, which includes naval vessels, may visit the Philippines from time to time.

Before the arrival of the USS Louisville, submarine tender USS Frank Cable also made a port visit in Palawan and Cebu in June, while guided missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay docked at Manila's South Harbor last May. — Joseph Tristan Roxas/MDM, GMA News