The USS Donald Cook entered Canakkale Strait, also known as the Dardanelles, at 7:00 a.m. from the Aegean Sea. The destroyer completed its transit around 8.10 am and continued to the Sea of Marmara.
“The Donald Cook’s mission is to reassure NATO allies and Black Sea partners of America’s commitment to strengthen and improve interoperability while working towards mutual goals in the region,” Army Col. Steven Warren, a U.S. military spokesman said, as quoted on the Department of Defense website.