REPLENISHMENT FOR BURMA - U.S. Marines prepare to assist victims of Cyclone Nargis, which devastated Burma on May 2. As part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Marines remove cargo nets from pallets of food, water and emergency supplies delivered to the amphibious assault ship USS Essex off the Gulf of Thailand, May 9, 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class David Didier

Labels: 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, Myanmar Cyclone, photos, US Navy, USMC, USS Essex

USS ESSEX AT THE READY - The USS Essex, anchored in the Gulf of Thailand, May 8, 2008, stands ready to assist the the people of Burma, where a cyclone and tidal wave struck the nation, killing thousands of people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. The Navy is dispatching helicopters from the ship to a staging area in Thailand, where they will be able to reach Burma with relief supplies within hours. Essex is equipped with 23 helicopters and five amphibious landing craft, and carries 1,800 Marines. U.S. Navy photograph by Seaman Kari R. Bergman
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Labels: Humanitarian Aid, Myanmar Cyclone, photos, ships, US Navy, USS Essex

SCRUBBERS
U.S. Navy sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex scrub the ship's flight deck between flight operations while under way in the Sea of Japan, Feb. 15, 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer Ty Swartz

Labels: photos, ships, US Navy, USS Essex

SEA OF JAPAN (Feb. 15, 2007) A Marine from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) practices fast roping aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). Essex is the lead ship of the only forward-deployed U.S. Expeditionary Strike Group and serves as the flagship for Combined Task Force (CTF) 76, the Navy's only forward-deployed amphibious force commander. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mark R. Alvarez

Labels: 31st MEU, CTF-76, LHD-2, photos, ships, US Navy, USMC, USS Essex

STEAMING TOGETHER
The amphibious assault ship USS Essex and the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Pecos steam together during a refueling at sea, Feb. 6, 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua J. Wahl

Labels: Military Sealift Command, photos, refueling, ships, US Navy, USNS Pecos, USS Essex