American Samoa government welcomes U.S. guided-missile destroyer back to the territory

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga says the visit of a US Navy guided-missile destroyer, the USS Shoup, to the territory reassures American Samoa of the US government’s commitment “to protect our people, our rights, our property.”

The governor was speaking yesterday morning during a news conference at the Governor’s Office, where he, along with several cabinet members and his senior staff, were present to officially welcome Commander Andy Strickland, Commanding Officer of the USS Shoup, and its crew, who sailed into port last Saturday and are scheduled to depart later this week.

Strickland says the USS Shoup last visited the territory in 2011 and he had also visited the territory in 2003. The current visit is part of the ship’s Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) deployment.

In his remarks, Lolo explained that since his administration took over in 2013, this is the first official tour of a military vessel. He then provided a brief background history of the territory and its connection to the US Navy, going back to 1900.

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