Building upon the engagement with the U.S. Consul in facilitating an International Women Day Event held at James Cook University (JCU), the US Consul's office reached out to the Development in the Tropics (DItT) team to make connections when the USS Emory visited Cairns in June this year.

The main role of USS Emory is to support and supply to submarines and act as a maintenance hub. The impressive vessel is 644 feet long, 12 stories high and has a hybrid crew of 345 active-duty US Navy personnel, 17 Australian Navy personnel and around 130 civilian merchant marines.

USS Emory sailors connected with the AFL Cape York House (pictured below) and tried their hand at boomerang throwing, dancing and engaged in a thrilling tug-of-war. Students from AFL House were given a tour of the US Navy vessel, with exhibitions of their capacity to repair or create machinery parts first-hand.

DitT was also able to facilitate a tour for TropWater, who brought the Girringun Ranger group (pictured above), and on a separate tour staff from The Cairns Institute and representatives from Partner Up Queensland, and First Nations Foundations were escorted on a tour of the vessel.

AFL Cape York House Students with USS Emory crew.