The ship, the USS Mount Whitney, is the Navy's only Joint Command Ship and is considered to be the most sophisticated ship ever commissioned in terms of communication, control, command, computers and intelligence capabilities, according to the Navy's Web site.

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Aboard ship, full, accurate and continuous communication saves lives.

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The crew held a wounded pirate for about 12 hours, dressing his wounds "because he was bleeding all over the ship", she said, after communication with her husband Ken by phone and e-mail.

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But the main means of communication with Beagle 2 was always intended to be its mother ship, the European Space Agency's Mars Express, from which it was released on December 19th.

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