Lagos, Nigeria

We have gotten underway from the port of Lagos, Nigeria, and it was one of our most successful port visits to date.

Lagos is our 17th port visit. It is a city of roughly 8 million people, situated in the south-west coast of Nigeria, a country roughly the size of Texas. The country itself represents over 250 different ethnic groups, with over 50% of the population being Muslim. English is its official language, and, native Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Fulani are spoken as well. The land itself is a mixture of mangrove swamp, rainforest, savannah and open woodland, and semi-desert.

Our liberty was curtailed in this port due to the increased crime rate in many parts of the city. Rest assured, one of the safest places for me was the ship itself. And even though we had no chance to go see the culture itself, with the help of the local U.S. Consulate and the Nigerian Navy, the culture came to us. The U.S. Consulate offered to us it’s own guest quarters located just across the river we were berthed at, providing our crew with many just-like-home services: internet services, restaurant, bar, Olympic-length pool, gym facilities, and basketball court. A Nigerian market was setup inside the consulate guest quarters itself, providing local crafts to be bought by the crew.

The Nigerian Navy is probably the region’s most developed navy, but were still unorganized and under-equipped. They are very proud of their capabilities and standing amongst the other nations, and were very honored to have the opportunity to host us. The local base commander provided a social event at the Nigerian Naval Station Beecroft officer and enlisted messes for over 30 of the ship’s company. They hosted us with a very open and friendly atmosphere. Handshakes, jokes, sea stories, and many pictures were the norm as we discovered their Navy to be one of the most hospitable to date.

We hosted another successful reception onboard for the top Nigerian naval commanders and staff from all over the country. The Nigerian Navy returned the favor by inviting over 40 crew members to a cultural song and dance social at the Beecroft Naval Station, where we were privy to performances of very old cultural dances and songs; we were treated to local foods and tastes as our hosts provided dinner for us, as well.

The ship participated in a joint-navy Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) between our two navies; the crew was very successful in a mock-rescue of a stranded and sinking vessel. Although simulated, everyone was key in showing the Nigerian Navy our capability, especially in coordinating with their rescue forces.

The week was finished off with a friendly volleyball match between our two navies, ultimately resulting in ELROD’s team taking losses, obviously because we haven’t been practicing that much at sea. ELROD supplied our Nigerian friends a little taste of our culture afterwards, with all-American burgers, beans, and hot dogs on our flight deck.

The crew is doing amazing things, both on and off the ship. They continue to do any and all of the work needed to support ELROD’s mission in this part of the world and get the job done.

-J.R.