USS GERMANTOWN - My new home

Here are some pictures of my new ship and ESG-7 (Expeditionary Strike Group -7), which is a little like a carrier Strike Group, but consists of all Amphibious ships and a Marine Expeditionary Unit. ESG-7 is the GERMANTOWN, ESSEX, TORTUGA, and DENVER.

USS GERMANTOWN. I live here.


AAV (Amphibious Assault Vehicle) coming from our well-deck. When we deploy, we fill the well-deck with various amphibious craft. We can purposefully take on water (ballast) and flood the well-deck and drive the craft out from the stern of the ship.

AAVs with the TORTUGA in the background.

Marines lining up to embark the ESSEX for the deployment. Often mistaken for a carrier, it is a big deck amphib that embarks helicopters (super cobras, sea knights, seahawks, sea stallions, hueys) and harriers.

A AV-8B Harrier on the flight deck of the ESSEX. Did you ever see True Lies? It's that... sort of. It can vertically take off and land.