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April 3, 2010

By Corinne Reilly
The Virginian-Pilot
© April 3, 2010

ABOARD THE BATAAN

After two and a half months in Haiti – longer than any other Navy ship deployed in support of the U.S. military's relief mission there – the Norfolk-based amphibious assault ship Bataan is slated to arrive home this morning around 11 a.m.

The Bataan originally was scheduled to pull into port by 10 a.m. Fog is responsible for the hour delay.

The ship left the waters off Haiti last week and anchored in Morehead City, N.C., on Thursday, where it offloaded roughly 900 Marines. About 1,000 Norfolk-based sailors remain on the Bataan, now nearing Virginia's coast.

The ship arrived in Haiti on Jan. 18, six days after the country’s devastating earthquake.

Its crew carried out a wide range of missions in the 10 weeks the ship spent anchored near the island nation’s coast, just west of Port-au-Prince. Besides delivering food, water and other relief supplies, the ship took on nearly 100 earthquake casualties for treatment in its onboard hospital. The Bataan’s helicopter squadrons transported patients and supplies and flew reconnaissance missions.

Its Marines provided security at food distribution points, and its sailors adopted entire villages, where they cleared rubble and helped begin the rebuilding process.

On Friday, in an address delivered on the Bataan's flight deck, Capt. Tom Negus told the ship's crew they should be proud of all they accomplished.

"The word that comes to mind is greatness," said Negus, who commanded the group of ships that traveled with the Bataan -- four of them in all. "Thousands of people are alive in Haiti because of you. ... Take that into the future, into the days that aren't so great."

For more details, return to PilotOnline.com later and read tomorrow's Virginian-Pilot.