Two warships of the United States Navy -- the USS Gary and USS Vandergrift -- have berthed at Kochi.

Southern Indian naval officials described the visit by the American warships as 'professional and social interaction between the two navies'.

While an Indian -- Commander T P Dua -- is the captain of the USS Gary, Commander R A Rogers is the captain of the USS Vandegrift. The two warships will be in Kochi till June 22.

"I am excited to be on the Indian shores. Though I am professionally committed and attached to the US Navy, I cannot forget my country," Commander Dua told reporters soon after the ships were anchored at the Kochi Wharf.

The captains of the US warships were received at Kochi by South Naval Command chief Pradeep Kaushiva.

The vessels are guided missile frigates of the Oliver Hazard Perry class.

According to a statement issued by the Naval Command, each ship has a crew of about 240 personnel, including 30 officers, who will have extensive interactions with the Indian Navy personnel.

The ships, with a displacement of 4000 tonnes and a maximum speed of about 28 knots, are about 450 feet in length. They are equipped with Harpoon and Standard missiles, anti-submarine warfare torpedoes and rapid firing guns.

Captain Dua was commissioned from the US Naval Academy with the class of 1984.

"This is part of the regular naval engagements that we conduct in which we mingle with the Navy personnel to get a better understanding of each other. This is part of our routine travel. There is no strategic agenda in our trip to Kochi," Captain Dua said.

In the next four days, the US and Indian Naval personnel will engage in a series of friendly sports meets and interact with the ship and training schools of the Southern Naval Command.

Captain Dua was born in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. But he migrated to America in 1964. He did his higher schooling and graduation in the US before joining the US Naval Academy in 1984.

Captain Dua's first assignment was in USS Sterett (CG 31), forward deployed to Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines. USS Sterett was deployed to the North Arabian Sea as Primary Air Warfare Commander for USS Midway Battle Group during Captain Dua's tour.

In 1992 Captain Dua was assigned as Combat Systems Officer in USS Fife (DD 991), forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan.