US Sailors pull a combat rubber raiding craft carrying Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) into the well deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) during amphibious operations.
Germantown is part of the Peleliu Amphibious Ready Group and is conducting joint forces exercises in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.
USS GERMANTOWN is the second WHIDBEY ISLAND class dock landing ship and was the first ship in the class to serve in the Pacific.
The amphibious assault ship’s mission is to project power ashore by transporting and launching amphibious craft and vehicles loaded with embarked Marines in support of an amphibious assault.
The ship was designed specifically to operate with Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) vessels. It has the largest capacity for these landing craft (four) of any US Navy amphibious platform.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, September 15, 2014; Image: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Amanda R. Gray