US Navy destroyer makes rare port call in New Zealand

[Tony]

A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer arrived Friday in Wellington, New Zealand, a rare visit by an American warship to the nuclear-free nation that has closed its borders to most of the world during the coronavirus pandemic.

A Navy statement described the visit by the USS Howard as an indication of the depth of the relationship between New Zealand and the U.S. The Navy embargoed its statement until the Howard, an Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer based at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, had arrived Down Under.