The program is delivered in many forms including ship visits, aircraft visits, training teams, and Seabee construction projects throughout most of the year.

Split is also becoming a major cruise ship destination, with over 260 ship visits, carrying 130,000 passengers.

"In retrospect it would have been wiser to cancel the ship visit."

In 1984, the relationship began to break down over the issue of nuclear-powered ship visits and nuclear weapons access to New Zealand.

For 2007/2008, the total was forecast at 73 ship visits, another strong increase.

So chaplains and volunteers are working longer hours to make more ship visits, bringing cellphones and other amenities on board.

Officials stressed however that vessels will not be permanently based there and their crews will live aboard during ship visits.

Like about half the 13 communities the ship visits, St.-Augustin is not connected to the outside world by road.

Due to the US policy at that time of "neither confirm nor deny", ship visits ceased.

The following day I visited the port offices, musty with handwritten ledgers of ship visits dating back nearly a century.