Photo Gallery

May 12, 2004

USS Coronado visits the Philippines

Musician 2nd Class (SW) David L. Cobbel, musical director of the U.S. Seventh Fleet Band, plays with a baby who was in the audience when his band performed for residents of the Subic Bay area as part of USS Coronado’s visit to the Philippines on April 23-25, 2003. It was the first visit to the country of the Coronado, which serves as the temporary flagship of the Seventh Fleet while the USS Blue Ridge undergoes scheduled maintenance work in Japan. (Photos below:) The band performed in two communities near the former U.S. naval base in Subic.

 

 

	A young girl (above) smiles as USS Coronado’s crew and Seventh Fleet staff members paint her school building. Iram Elementary School still bore damage from Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption in 1991, and is, according to school principal Pastor Padua, “one of Olongapo’s remotest schools.” Navy Capt. Don Keullmer (lower left) and Navy Capt. David Dittmer (photo below) from the Seventh Fleet helped give the school a fresh look.

 

	(Left:) USS Coronado Commanding Officer Capt. Chris Noble, presents Congressman James Gordon, Jr. souvenirs from the ship during the courtesy call on the 1st District of Zambales’ Representative on April 23. (Below:) A file photo of USS Coronado (AGF11) as it arrives in Yokosoka, Japan in March to serve as the Seventh Fleet flagship while USS Blue Ridge undergoes regularly scheduled maintenance.

 

	Capt. Chris Noble (top photo), commanding officer of USS Coronado, explains the system on the bridge to students from the Philippine Naval Educational Training Command. Lt. Paul Hughes (top left photo), combat systems officer of the Coronado, and Lt. Cmdr. Romelda Saidarin (lower left photo) assisted in giving the naval students a tour of the ship.

 

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