MAYPORT, Fla. — Action News reporter Lorena Inclan is on board the USS Iwo Jima as it makes the journey from Norfolk, Virginia, to Mayport, Florida.
The USS Fort McHenry is also making the trek.
The move will complete the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group homeport change in support of strategic dispersal and two viable East Coast surface ship homeports.
The change, initially announced in 2012, will ensure the preservation of the ship repair industrial base in Mayport.
The USS Iwo Jima is the seventh ship in the WASP class of United States Navy multipurpose amphibious assault ships.
There are 66 officers and 1,004 enlisted crew members on board. The ship can also embark a detachment of 1,687 marines.
The USS Fort McHenry is the third ship in the Whidbey Island class of United States navy dock landing ships.
The crew is made up of 22 officers, 391 enlisted crew members. It too, can embark a detachment of 402 marines.
Naval Station Mayport is one of the largest naval bases in the United States and is home to more than 6,500 Sailors and more than 70 tenant commands including 17 naval ships, four helicopter squadrons, and U.S. Fourth Fleet.
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