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May 7, 2009

By Lauren King
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 7, 2009

NORFOLK

The amphibious assault ship Nassau and its crew will rejoin the fleet this week after nearly six months of major repairs.

Today, the Nassau is scheduled to return to the fleet with sea trials and then return to Norfolk Naval Station on Friday evening, a news release from the commanding officer said.

Prior to undergoing repairs, the Nassau was sent in September to Galveston, Texas, in the wake of Hurricane Ike. The storm pushed more than 12 feet of water across the island. More than 1,000 sailors and Marines from the Nassau helped deliver supplies to residents who rode out the storm, but had run out of water, food and ice.

The Nassau is the fourth ship in the Tarawa class of multi-purpose amphibious assault ships, the news release said. Its mission is to embark, deploy and land a Marine landing force by helicopter, attack aircraft or amphibious vehicle. The ship can operate alone or in conjunction with other units and is designed to get a balanced force to the same point at the same time.