A view of waves crashing into Cable Beach at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay on October 3, 2016, as Hurricane Matthew approaches. (Kegan E. Kay/U.S. Navy)
WASHINGTON – Three U.S. ships will provide humanitarian relief to areas hit by Hurricane Matthew, the Navy said Tuesday.
The USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier, USS Mesa Verde, an amphibious transport dock ship, and USNS Comfort, a hospital ship, are deploying from Norfolk, Virginia to assist in relief efforts.
The government of Haiti, where the hurricane made landfall Tuesday, has already requested U.S. help in the wake of the storm, a Navy official said on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the issue.
Hurricane Matthew is predicted to hit Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, which includes Camp Delta, the detention facility that houses 61 prisoners from the U.S. war on terrorism.
The prisoners will remain at the facility through the storm, however 700 non-essential personnel and their dependents have been evacuated to Florida, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Monday. Davis said the facilities at Camp Delta are strong enough to withstand Hurricane Matthew’s projected winds.
The remaining essential personnel at Guantanamo are preparing for the storm and have taken shelter in the base gym.
The Navy has not determined whether it will send the rest of the ships that might be in the hurricane’s path to sea, the Navy official said.
Aircraft carriers USS George H.W. Bush, USS Harry S. Truman and USS Abraham Lincoln are at Norfolk. There are also various amphibious warships and cruisers at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida.
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