March 31, 2023 — The USS Mobile, a 418-foot Navy littoral combat ship, began a joint patrol in the Western Pacific Ocean March 20 to combat illegal fishing and maritime crime, according to Navy officials.
Homeported at San Diego, Calif., as part of the Navy’s Third Fleet, the Mobile carries a Coast Guard team to conduct maritime law enforcement, as part of the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative.
“OMSI is imperative to ensure that the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Convention (WCPFC) agreement is upheld within the Indo-Pacific region,” said Cmdr. Richard Skinnell, the Mobile’s commanding officer. “This initiative allows us the opportunity to work jointly with other branches of the military as well as our allies and partners.”