USS McCampbell crew members work to bring on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies during an underway replenishment Wednesday. The McCampbell is off the coast of Japan to provide disaster relief and humanitarian assistance to Japan in support of Operation Tomodachi. (Lizzy Byers/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
USS McCampbell crew members work to bring on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies during an underway replenishment Wednesday. The McCampbell is off the coast of Japan to provide disaster relief and humanitarian assistance to Japan in support of Operation Tomodachi. (Lizzy Byers/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Seaman Ryan Zevinsky, from Gloucester, Va., removes a line from a span wire aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh during a replenishment-at-sea with the Military Sealift Command Dry Cargo and Ammunition ship USNS Matthew Perry on Tuesday. Shiloh is currently off the northeastern coast of Japan conducting humanitarian assistance operations as part of Operation Tomodachi. (Charles Oki/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Sailors aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh receive cargo from the Military Sealift Command Dry Cargo and Ammunition ship USNS Matthew Perry during a replenishment-at-sea Tuesday. (Charles Oki/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
A crew member of the Military Sealift Command Dry Cargo and Ammunition ship USNS Matthew Perry attaches cargo to an CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter assigned to the 'Flying Tigers' of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 during a vertical replenishment Tuesday. The Flying Tigers are based in Okinawa, Japan, and are conducting humanitarian assistance missions in northern Japan as part of Operation Tomodachi. (Charles Oki/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Sailors arrange pallets on the main deck aboard 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge during a vertical replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Pecos Monday. Blue Ridge transferred pallets of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies to support Operation Tomodachi relief efforts in Japan. (Fidel C. Hart/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy )
A CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopter launched from the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex and assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 transports humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies to Miyako, Japan, on Tuesday. (Casey H. Kyhl/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Gunnery Sgt. Sam Carnes, left, and a member of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force direct the movement of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies unloaded from a CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 on Tuesday. (Casey H. Kyhl/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Servicemembers load humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies onto a CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 on Tuesday. (Casey H. Kyhl/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Gunnery Sgt. Sam Carnes secures humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies inside a CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262. (Casey H. Kyhl/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Servicemembers load humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies onto a CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopter assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 on Tuesday. (Casey H. Kyhl/Courtesy of the U.s. Navy)
Servicemembers load humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies Tuesday onto a CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopter assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 launched from the amphibious assault ship USS Essex. (Casey H. Kyhl/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy )
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force members and Japanese civilians wave goodbye to a CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopter after it delivered humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies from the amphibious assault ship USS Essex on Tuesday. (Casey H. Kyhl/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
A CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopter launched from the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex and assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 transports humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies to Miyako, Japan, on Tuesday. USS Essex, USS Harpers Ferry and USS Germantown with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit currently are operating off the coast of Hachinohe in northeastern Japan in support of Operation Tomodachi. (Casey H. Kyhl/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Seaman Nicholas Constable works a cargo-handling line during a vertical replenishment-at-sea aboard 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge Monday. The Blue Ridge transferred pallets of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies to support Operation Tomodachi relief efforts in Japan. (Aaron M. Pineda/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Petty Officer 2nd Class Mariano Tamandong, left, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony Sutton, assigned to the 'Warlords' of Light Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 51, pull an SH-60F Sea Hawk helicopter onto the flight deck for launch aboard 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge during a vertical replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Pecos on Monday. (Fidel C. Hart/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Petty Officer 2nd Class Mariano Tamandong, assigned to the 'Warlords' of Light Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 51, directs sailors moving pallets of humanitarian supplies aboard 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge during a vertical replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Pecos on Monday. (Steven Khor/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew Raum briefs line handlers before a replenishment-at-sea aboard 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge on Monday. Blue Ridge transferred pallets of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies to support Operation Tomodachi relief efforts in Japan. (Aaron M. Pineda/Courtesy of the U.s. Navy)
TOKYO, Japan — The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet has directed 13,000 military personnel as part of Operation Tomodachi, bringing in hundreds of tons of relief items to the Japanese people hit hard by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Servicemembers aboard the 20 ships participating in the relief efforts loaded pallet after pallet with food, clothing, fuel and other supplies for helicopters flying missions to coastal northeastern Japan, according to several Navy releases. In all, 140 aircraft are taking part.
Sailors and Marines assigned to the Essex Amphibious Ready Group – which includes the USS Essex, USS Harpers Ferry, USS Germantown and the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit – loaded up CH-46E Sea Knight and CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopters, from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262, which delivered the goods to the Japanese on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, USS Shiloh sailors transferred supplies from the Military Sealift Command Dry Cargo and Ammunition ship, USNS Matthew Perry, to their guided-missile cruiser during an at-sea replenishment. Likewise, the USS McCampbell on Wednesday took on 45 pallets of food and supplies from the Perry.
The USS Blue Ridge and USS Tortuga, among others, have conducted similar operations during the relief effort.
