Denmark and Greenland have now been thanked in the US Congress for the weekend's evacuation of an American crew member from a submarine off Nuuk.
It is Democratic House of Representatives member Joe Courtney, who has thanked Denmark and Greenland in a speech:
- I am here to thank Denmark and Greenland for their quick and professional evacuation on Saturday of an American crew member aboard the USS Delaware seven nautical miles off the coast of Greenland, said Joe Courtney from the podium.
- Deafening silence from management
It was Saturday afternoon that the Arctic Command evacuated the crew member, who was in urgent need of medical treatment and was therefore handed over to the Greenlandic health authorities and admitted to Queen Ingrid's Hospital in Nuuk.
The US congressman says that he represents Connecticut, where the submarine is based, and he is very surprised that there has been no official thanks from the US administration for the Greenlandic and Danish efforts:
- For some reason, there has been a deafening silence from our management in terms of publicly thanking Denmark for the efforts, said Joe Courtney, who went on to say:
- As a representative of the submarine's home port, I would like to publicly say to that nation (the Kingdom of Denmark, ed.) that your caring action towards one of our crew members in distress is deeply appreciated and will be remembered for a long time.
Submarine mystery
The case of the American submarine has caused a stir, and among others, Siumut's Erik Jensen has asked questions to the Greenlandic Government to find out more about the submarine's activities in Greenland, given the tense political situation between Greenland and the United States.
In his speech, Joe Courtney refers to the fact that for decades, US submarines have carried out NATO patrols in the waters around Greenland, Iceland and Great Britain for the benefit of the United States' own security.
- It is a team effort, and Denmark's rescue operation is a powerful example of how the NATO alliance is not only based on words, but more to a greater extent on meaningful deeds, said Joe Courtney from the podium.
Nuclear-powered
It appears from the US Navy's website that the USS Delaware is a nuclear-powered attack submarine of the Virginia class.
- The submarines are designed for a wide range of missions on the high seas and in coastal areas, writes the US Navy about the submarine.
The rescue operation of the American crew member took place shortly before President Donald Trump made his famous announcement that a "fantastic hospital ship" was on its way to Greenland to treat the sick who are not being cared for.
