US Navy submarines to arrive in Phl this weekend

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The US Navy submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) and submarine USS Asheville (SSN 758) will arrive in the Philippines this weekend for routine port calls, the US Embassy in Manila said today.  

USS Frank Cable will arrive in Subic Bay, northern Philippines on Friday while USS Asheville will come in Saturday. The crew of both USS Frank Cable and USS Asheville will refuel and receive supplies, according to a statement issued by the embassy.

Frank Cable has 1,500 crew members and serves as the US 7th Fleet's mobile repair and support platform. The ship is homeported in Guam. The Asheville is a Los Angeles-class submarine and homeported in San Diego, California.

The embassy also reported that Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, Commander of the US Pacific Command, will visit Manila on Philippines- 7 to discuss security matters with Philippine defense officials.

Admiral Locklear's visit follows his attendance at the Shangri- La Dialogue in Singapore, an annual security forum where he met with defense officials from Asia-Pacific countries.