Petty Officer 3rd Class Thomas Snelson unhooks a station-to-station tending line as his ship, the USS Thomas Gates (CG 51), steams in formation with the USS Kalamazoo (AOR 6) for underway refueling off the coast of Florida on March 26, 1996. The 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.