Two U.S. Ships in Black Sea, French Surveillance Ship Due Friday

The U.S. command ship USS Mount Whitney entered the Black Sea on Saturday — a day after guided missile destroyer USS Cole bringing the total of American naval ships in the region to two.
French signals intelligence ship Dupuy de Lôme is also due in the Black Sea by Friday.
Whitney was in the Black Sea earlier this year during the Sochi Winter Olympics.
The NATO presence mission in the Black Sea has been ongoing since the forced annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea by Russia in March.
All warships from countries without a coast on the Black Sea operate under the 1936 Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits.
Montreux rules call for foreign warships to depart the Black Sea after 21 days.
usni.org