US missile destroyer anchors off KK for four-day visit to Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: United States Navy warship USS Milius (DDG 69) is in Sabah for a four-day break.

The crew on board the US Navy’s 19th Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer docked close to the Kota Kinabalu Port here on Friday (Oct 21) morning, after over a month of sailing from its home port in Japan.

The ship's commanding officer Commander Matthew Hays said he and his nearly 300 crew members, most of whom are here for the very first time, are excited to experience the food, drink and culture of Sabah.

“We are here in beautiful Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. We are happy to be here to celebrate the 65th year of diplomatic relations with the Malaysian government,” he said.

“We are extremely excited to be here. This is a great port for us to come and see the culture, meet the people of Malaysia and just enjoy our time here. Thankful for the opportunity to visit,” he said.

Hays said this was his first time in Kota Kinabalu, though he has been in Port Klang previously.

The officers and crew of the USS Milius will be visiting one of the schools near here for a meet-up and possibly some friendly sporting activities on Saturday (Oct 22).

The 26-year-old missile destroyer provides multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities in support of the US Navy's maritime security strategy.

USS Milius can operate independently or as part of aircraft carrier strike groups, surface action groups, expeditionary strike groups, and underway replenishment groups.

Its functions include strike warfare, surface defence, submarine defence, maritime interception operations, forward presence and ballistic missile defence.