Naval Operations and Tactics

Images focus on naval vessels in action, showcasing fuel transfers, operations, and the use of technology during maritime missions.

061021-N-5330L-281. Base: USS Anzio (CG 68)

Coast Guard-manned Life Raft. This image depicts a Coast Guard plane assisting injured seaman from the fishing vessel VALIANT LADY.

Coast Guard Cutters - Dauntless (WMEC 624) - 26-HK-73-123. CGC Dauntless -- RHI boat crew approaching CLIPPER POSH STAVANGER ---050928. Hurricane Katrina

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 14, 2012) The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Montpelier (SSN 765) operates under its own power.

Memorial structure in the sea, Arizona Gun Turret, USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii Islands, USA

230128-N-NX070-1004The heavy ice breaker USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) keeps shipping channels open approaching McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica (JTF-SFA), oversees the activities of the joint services and provides Department of Defense support to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and United States Antarctic Program (USAP) through Operation Deep Freeze.

220506-N-ED646-0139- GDYNIA, Poland (May 5, 2022) Polish tugboat Fairplay XII assists Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) as it prepares to depart Gdynia, Poland, May 6, 2022. Gravely is deployed with the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in support of U.S., Allied and partner interests in Europe and Africa.

Members of a boarding party from the guided missile destroyer USS WILLIAM V. PRATT (DDG-44) prepare to enter the cargo hold aboard the Turkish freighter Rize K, during an inspection of the vessel, the first freighter approved by the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid to Iraq. The PRATT is the flagship of the Maritime Interdiction Force, the unit charged with enforcing U.N. sanctions against Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Red Sea

DR-1607 Hurricane Rita.. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

970620-N-5121B-001. Subject Operation/Series: KERNEL BLITZ '97 Base: Uss Tarawa (LHA 1)

APRA HARBOR, Guam - The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Annapolis (SSN 760) makes preparations to get underway from Naval Base Guam for a routine deployment, May 6. Annapolis will be conducting maritime operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to maintain a safe and open Indo-Pacific.

220408-N-UN585-1223 SOUDA BAY, Greece (April 8, 2022) U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Ryan Brusseau, assigned to Task Group 61/2.4, stands watch aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) as the ship enters port in Souda Bay, Greece, April 8, 2022. Task Group 61/2.4 is part of Task Force 61/2, which will temporarily provide command and control support to the commander of U.S. Sixth fleet to synchronize Navy and Marine Corps units and capabilities already in theater, in support of regional allies and partners and U.S. national security interests. Ross, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is on its 12th patrol in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in support of regional allies and partners and U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.

A crew member sits atop a container moored alongside the ammunition ship USS BUTTE (AE-27). Base: Gaeta Country: Italy(ITA)

Sailors on the bow of the USS Fox look for mines as the USS Fox fell in behind the Tank Bridgeton.

220820-N-MZ836-1027 KLAIPĖDA, Lithuania (Aug. 20, 2022) A Lithuanian tug boat assists the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) as Kearsarge prepares to enter port in Klaipėda, Lithuania for a scheduled port visit, Aug. 20, 2022. The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, under the command and control of Task Force 61/2, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests.

DN-ST-88-05472. Base: Persian Gulf

120203-N-ZZ999-010JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 3, 2012) Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 and Marines from 8th Engineering Support Battalion 8th (ESB) use bridge erection boats to transport improved ribbon bridge sections to the installation site. The NMCB-133 Bridge Detachment partnered with the 8th ESB to provide support for Exercise Bold Alligator 2012. Bold Alligator, the largest naval amphibious exercise in the past 10 years, represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces, while showcasing the advantages of seabasing. This exercise will take place Jan. 30 through Feb. 12, 2012 afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina. #BA12

A view from inside the cargo compartment onboard a US Air Force (USAF) C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) showing USAF STAFF Sergeant (SSGT) Kenneth Hardwick, the aircrafts Crew CHIEF, talking with personnel from Jocobabad Air Base (AB), Pakistan, about proper cargo off-loading procedures, during a mission flown in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. (Duplicate image, see also DFSD0414258 or search 030129F7203T006). Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Jocobabad Air Base Country: Pakistan (PAK)

Members of the US and Jordanian military services work through the night to offload equipment from the cargo ship LYRA. The equipment has been delivered for use during SHADOW HAWK, the segment of the multiservice Exercise BRIGHT STAR '87 that tests joint Jordan-US operations. Subject Operation/Series: SHADOW HAWKBRIGHT STAR Base: Aqaba Country: Jordan (JOR)

Salvage Engineering Response Team - Various Operations - 26-HK-360-151. mm 49 to 59 photos. Hurricane Katrina

DN-ST-85-03534. Base: Pascagoula State: Mississippi (MS) Country: United States Of America (USA)

PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 8, 2022) -- The Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) approaches the Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) before receiving supplies while operating in the Philippine Sea, Aug. 8, 2022. Military Sealift Command Far East ensures approximately 50 ships in the Indo-Pacific region, including Tippecanoe, are manned, trained and equipped to deliver essential supplies, fuel, cargo, and equipment to warfighters, both at sea and on shore. Under Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely interacts and operates with 35 maritime nations in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific Region.(Photo by Christopher Bosch)

Black smoke pours from the sinking remains of an Iraqi oil tanker that was struck by Allied firepower during Operation Desert Storm. The vessel was struck south of the Khauer Al Kafka oil terminal and survivors were captured and taken aboard the guided missile frigate USS CURTS (FFG-38). Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Unknown

Coast Guard Structures - Station Gulfport - 26-HK-98-29. Hurricane Katrina

DN-SC-85-07084. Base: San Pedro State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Salvage Engineering Response Team - Various Operations - 26-HK-360-156. mm 49 to 59 photos. Hurricane Katrina

220916-N-WU964-1027 PACIFIC OCEAN (Sept. 16, 2022) Sailors release a target buoy from the fantail aboard the U.S. Navys only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 16. The target buoy provides Sailors a water-borne target to fire at during weapons qualifications and training exercises. Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States, and supports alliances, partnerships and collective maritime interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

020805-N-0872M-505. Base: Mason-Gulf Derrick Barge Wotan Scene Major Command Shown: NOAA

SOUDA BAY, Greece, (Feb, 28, 2016) The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine, USS Newport News (SSN-750), pulls into Souda Bay, Greece Feb. 28, 2016. Newport News is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.

Flight deck crew members prepare to raise the crash barricade aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN-71). Country: Unknown

Salvage Engineering Response Team - Empire and Venice - 26-HK-352-23. Empire. Hurricane Katrina

A US aircrewman, left, and a Venezuelan aircrewman discuss the specifications of a Venezuelan UH-1 Iroquois helicopter during Operation UNITAS XXV. Subject Operation/Series: UNITAS XXV Country: Unknown

221013-N-CY569-1011 NORFOLK, Va. (Oct. 13, 2022) Contractors remove a piston from a catapult on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), October 13, 2022. Truman is the flagship of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and is currently in port onboard Naval Station Norfolk.

DN-SC-86-00761. Base: Naval Station, Long Beach State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

The destroyer USS O'BANNON (DD-987) passes through the Gatun Locks as it transits the Panama Canal during Unitas XXXII, a combined exercise involving the naval forces of the United States and nine South American nations. Subject Operation/Series: UNITAS XXXII Country: Panama(PAN)

Fire retardant oozes from a hose after re-supplying a C-130 Hercules from the 302nd Airlift Wing, 731st Airlift Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. at the Redding Municipal Airport, Calif. The aircraft, one of two from the 731st Airlift Squadron was joined by two more C-130s from the California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing at Channel Islands. They worked with the U.S. Forest Service and Fire Protection air tankers and ground crews fighting some of northern California's lightning caused fires which lit up the landscape on Aug 11, 1996 by providing aerial fire suppression using the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS).Published in AIRMAN Magazine, December 1996.... Complete Scene Caption: Fire retardant oozes from a hose after re-supplying a C-130 Hercules from the 302nd Airlift Wing, 731st Airlift Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. at the Redding Municipal Airport, Calif. The aircraft, one of two from the 731st Airlift Squadron was joined by two more C-130

DF-ST-90-00579. Country: Unknown

As part of Underway Recovery Test 6, the Orion test article is pulled in by a winch line at the rear of the USS Anchorages well deck that brings the capsule into the ship, along with four manned LLAMAs (Line Load Attenuation Mechanism Assembly) that control the capsules side-to-side movement and a tending line attached to a rigid hull inflatable boat for controlling Orions movement behind the ship. The testing with Kennedy Space Center's NASA Recovery Team and the U.S. Navy will provide important data that is being used to improve recovery procedures and hardware ahead of Orion's next flight, Exploration Mission-1, when it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean.

A view through a fisheye lens of the US Navy aircraft carrier USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63) during refueling operations with the Fast Combat Support Ship USS Rainier (AOE 7). The KITTY HAWK is on a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific. A view through a fisheye lens of the US Navy aircraft carrier USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63) during refueling operations with the Fast Combat Support Ship USS Rainier (AOE 7). The KITTY HAWK is on a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific.

060421-N-2456S-122. Base: USS Nashville (LPD 13)

The sinking of USS Kittiwake, Grand Cayman.

DN-ST-87-05031. Base: Key West State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

050615-A-1906W-111. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Tallil Area Office Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: USACE

Material from Vice Admiral Allen - Gulfport-Biloxi Mission - 26-HK-367-5. Hurricane Katrina

Shot of exit damage created by a Harpoon missile fired at a sea tug by USS REUBEN JAMES (FFG 57) during operations while participating in Exercise TEAMWORK SOUTH '99 off the coast of Chile. The missile did not detonate upon impact. Subject Operation/Series: TEAMWORK SOUTH '99 Country: Unknown

050615-A-1906W-024. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Tallil Area Office Country: Iraq (IRQ) Scene Major Command Shown: USACE

An elevated view of the attack submarines USS RAY (SSN-653), USS HAWKBILL (SSN-666), and USS ARCHERFISH (SSN-678) surfaced at the geographic North Pole. This is the first time three nuclear-powered submarines have simultaneously surfaced at the pole. Country: Arctic Ocean

050904-N-7638K-025. Base: Biloxi State: Mississippi (MS) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DN-ST-87-02610. Base: Uscgc Eagle (WIX 327)

Salvage Engineering Response Team - New Orleans - Early October - 26-HK-351-167. Hurricane Katrina

Crewmen stand by aboard the Coast Guard large patrol craft USCGC KISKA (WPB-1336) as the craft approaches the pier during Operation Steel Box. The KISKA is in place to provide security during the delivery of chemical munitions to the atoll. Subject Operation/Series: STEEL BOX Country: Johnston Atoll

The hospital ship USNS MERCY (T-AH-19) is docked in port during Operation Desert Storm. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Bahrain(BHR)

A midshipman tosses a line to pier from the United States Naval Academy yacht ASTRAL. The ship is returning from a month long midshipmen's cruise in the Caribbean. Base: Annapolis State: Maryland (MD) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations law enforcement aircrew alerted Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders of this migrant vessel, Jan. 4, 2023. The people were repatriated on Jan. 12, 2023.

060412-N-1941M-001. Base: USS Tarawa (LHA 1) Scene Major Command Shown: USS Tarawa

DN-SN-87-10370. Country: Indian Ocean (IOC)

110101-N-7981E-052 PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 1, 2011) Sailors ring in the new year at midnight with a qualification fire of pencil flares in the first time zone west of the International Date Line aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are on a deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Two Marine flight deck crewmen stand by as the plane director aboard the aviation logistic ship USNS WRIGHT (T-AVB 3) signals to an incoming helicopter during exercise OCEAN VENTURE '88. The Puerto Rican coast and the maritime pre-positioning ship 2ND LT. JOHN P. BOBO (T-AK 3007) are in the background. Subject Operation/Series: OCEAN VENTURE '88 Country: Caribbean Sea

USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75) rests anchored in the harbor off the coastline of Marmaris, Turkey, as Sailors and Marines enjoy a four day port visit in the area. Truman is currently on its maiden deployment and is scheduled to return to its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia. Country: Turkey (TUR)

U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Feb. 15, 2013) An MH-60R Sea Hawk from the Raptors of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71 assigned to the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74, tests raising a dipping sonar. John C. Stennis is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom.

Big three-dimensional map of Gallipoli, Canakkale, Turkey

BOSTON (July 15, 2021) Sailors assigned to USS Constitution furl the mizzen top sail aboard Constitution. Constitution, is the worlds oldest commissioned warship afloat, and played a crucial role in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, actively defending sea lanes from 1797 to 1855. During normal operations, the active-duty Sailors stationed aboard Constitution provide free tours and offer public visitation to more than 600,000 people a year as they support the ships mission of promoting the Navys history and maritime heritage and raising awareness of the importance of a sustained naval presence. Constitution was undefeated in battle and destroyed or captured 33 opponents. The ship earned the nickname of Old Ironsides during the war of 1812 when British cannonballs were seen bouncing off the ships wooden hull.

Commander Dan Taylor - Rescue - 26-HK-281-95. Hurricane Katrina

Hungarian Army Engineers, Hungarian Army IFOR Pontoon Company, prepare to reattach the free-floating portion of a Hungarian steel PNP Class 60 Pontoon Bridge, that crosses the Sava river at Slavonski Brod, Croatia, to the Bosnian shoreline anchored portion. The anchored portion of the pontoon bridge is seen in the background. The Hungarians are in Croatia in support of Operation Joint Endeavor, which is a peacekeeping effort by a multinational Implementation Force (IFOR), comprised of NATO and non-NATO military forces, deployed to Bosnia in support of the Dayton Peace Accords. Subject Operation/Series: JOINT ENDEAVOR Base: Slavonski Brod Country: Bosnia And/I Herzegovina (BIH)

131226-N-QL471-045 FUNCHAL, Portugal (Dec. 26, 2013) Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class David Herring receives a line from a tug boat as the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) departs Funchal, Portugal, after a port visit. Monterey is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.

RED SEA (Aug. 23, 2012) Sailors perform routine maintenance on tomahawk cruise missile launchers aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95). James E. Williams is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom.

220827-N-EH998-1142 ARABIAN SEA (Aug. 27, 2022) Sailors assigned to guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94) provide fuel to a civilian vessel stranded in the Arabian Sea, Aug. 27. Nitze is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region.

Warships participating in Operation Nanook 2022 follow HMCS Margaret Brooke in line ahead formation within Saglek Fjord in northern Labrador, Canada.

Salvage Engineering Response Team - New Orleans - First Few Days - 26-HK-356-113. Polyhronus and Other Ships. Hurricane Katrina

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to Jamestown Settlement, Virginia, where he joined National Park Service Director Fran Mainella and other officials for tours of the grounds and a re-created version of the 17th Century vessel, the Godspeed, as well as for other events marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown

011127-N-3560G-001. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Uss Kitty Hawk (CV 63) Scene Major Command Shown: USS Kitty Hawk

ESU Incident Command Post New Orleans - CGC Harry Claiborne - Venice, Louisiana - 26-HK-311-40. Coast Guard Cutter Harry Claiborne in Venice, Louisiana, September 10 through 17, 2005. Hurricane Katrina

Salvage Engineering Response Team - New Orleans - First Few Days - 26-HK-356-76. Hurricane Katrina

Cannon being fired at the Brixham Pirate Festival 2022, Devon, UK

A close-up view of a chart depicting a minefield off the coast of Pohang, South Korea. The area is being used during mine countermeasures training for members of Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 (HM-15) during the joint U.S./South Korean exercise VALIANT BLITZ '90. Subject Operation/Series: VALIANT BLITZ '90 Country: South Korea

The Coast Guard Cutter 'Neah Bay' conducts ice breaking operations along the Grand River to mitigate flooding for communties in the Grand River, in the Ohio area. The Coast Guard provides support to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the mission to reduce flood and storm damage. (U.S. Coast Guard/Photo by Petty Officer Third Class Jacob Haslem)

The crew of USCGC Stone (WSML 758) hosts a diplomatic reception aboard the Stone in Rio de Janeiro, March 8, 2023. Stone is on a scheduled multi-mission deployment in the South Atlantic Ocean to counter illicit maritime activities and strengthen relationships for maritime sovereignty throughout the region.

A migrant vessel floating near Marquesas, Florida, Nov. 25, 2022. The Coast Guard Cutter Resolutes crew repatriated 192 Cubans to Cuba, Nov. 30, 2022, following 13 interdictions off Floridas coast. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

061111-N-9479M-001. Base: USS Dwight D Eisenhower (CVN 69)

Removing a naval mine, use of sonar or echo sounding, drawing.

USA, Massachusetts, Cape Ann, Gloucester. Re-enactors of the Battle of Gloucester, August 8-9, 1775, battle convinced the Americans of the need of creating an American Navy to fight against the British, American Revolutionary War-era naval vessels.

Material from Vice Admiral Allen - Principal Federal Official - 26-HK-369-124. Hurricane Katrina

VIPs and a naval officer pose for a photo during the keel laying of the Aegis guided missile cruiser COWPENS (CG-63). They are, left to right: Peter E. Jaquith, vice president of engineering, Bath Iron Works (BIW); Steve Sprague, president, BIW BMDA; Roger Leask, president, BIW Independent Guards Association; Duane E. Fitzgerald, executive vice president, BIW; Ray Ladd, president, BIW Local 6; Steven G. Buttner, senior vice president of operations, BIW; and CDR Richard Gilbert, prospective commanding officer. Base: Bath State: Maine (ME) Country: United States Of America (USA)

220715-N-OH262-0538 ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 15, 2022)-Civil Service Mariners serving aboard Military Sealift Command's dry cargo, ammunition ship USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE 13) pose for a photograph while the ship was underway, July 15.

Salvage Engineering Response Team - New Orleans - Early October - 26-HK-351-137. Hurricane Katrina

Salvage Engineering Response Team - New Orleans - First Few Days - 26-HK-356-129. Polyhronus and Other Ships. Hurricane Katrina

HONOLULU (Oct. 21, 2022) - Chief Combination covers and vessels lay on a table during the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) chief pinning ceremony aboard the USS Missouri Memorial in Honolulu, Oct. 21, 2022. The ceremony is a part of a long tradition that honors and recognizes the years of hard work, service and leadership of dedicated sailors in the Navy. Frank Cable, forward deployed to the island of Guam, repairs, rearms, and re-provisions submarines and surface vessels in the Indo-Pacific region.

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