020905-N-9802B-001

020905-N-9802B-001
At sea aboard USS Essex (LHD 2) Sept. 5, 2002 – Marines load their gear aboard USS Essex lower vehicle ramp after being transported to Essex via Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1631. LCU 1631 transported more than 900 stranded servicemembers, part of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, from Pohang, Republic of Korea to the Essex. With the MarinesÕ transportation affected by Typhoon ÔRusaÕ and running low on supplies, Essex was dispatched from its forward-deployed port of Sasebo, Japan, to Pohang to provide assistance and transportation to Okinawa, Japan. The Marines had just finished participating in the combined exercise Ulchi Focus Lens 2002 with the Republic of Korea and United States Combined Forces Command. Essex is forward-deployed to Sasebo and LCU 1631 is attached to Assault Craft Unit One Western Pacific. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Stephanie M. Bergman. (RELEASED)