English: The officers and crew of the German destroyer Lütjens (D 185), say goodbye and render honors to the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) by lining the rails in their Dress Blues as they came alongside the ship at sea. The German Sailors, who had become good friends with many of the crew on board Churchill , were flying an American flag at half mast and had hung a homemade banner that read, "We Stand by You." The ships had been conducting joint exercises off the coast of the United Kingdom prior to the terrorist attack on the United States on 11 September 2001.