The Royal Netherlands ship HrMs Abraham Crijnssen (F 816) maneuvers across the bow of the USS Nicholson (DD 982) as they steam in formation off the coast of Florida on March 23, 1996. The two ships are part of an armada from seven NATO nations participating in Exercise Unified Spirit '96. The combined exercise is designed to improve the readiness and effectiveness of NATO forces in the areas of command communication, embargo enforcement, freedom of navigation and protection and coordination with mine warfare forces.