Another American warship with an interesting service record -USS Ashland, above -docked in Townsville , a garrison town , after the huge combined Exercise Talisman Sabre 19 , without the local media following up with a visit aboard . Described as an island class dock landing ship, based in Japan , it has seen action against terrorists off Somalia as part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Task Force ; in 2010 it was shot at by pirates way off Djibouti , two men captured in that action later charged and convicted ( 30 years and life ) in an American court , the first time piracy counts had been heard in 150 years ; helped out after typhoons and rescued American women adrift at sea .
Naturally , our Shipping Reporter cast his eye and lens over the visiting warship. He made the observation American allies , intent on a bit of R. and R. (Rest and Resusciation ), may have thought they had arrived in a Banana Republic when they spotted yellow buses running about on the wharf displaying the name, CALYPSO.
Hey, Buddy , is this Ostralia or Jamaica ?
Our Shipping Reporter says there could have been a major feature article/s covering Townsville's part in the exercise, both from the military involvement and supplying the Americans with a wide range of items, including mail .
