USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26)

SAN DIEGO -- The first face the Artemis II crew will see upon their return to Earth will be the face of a U.S. Navy Sailor.

SAN DIEGO — San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) held a change of command ceremony on the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, Jan. 12.

SAN FRANCISCO (NNS) — Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen from several ships, squadrons and military units will be in San Francisco for the annual San Francisco Fleet Week, Oct. 2-9.

UNITED STATES — Starting Aug. 15, the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command initiated Operation Noble Defender in Alaska to demonstrate the commands’ ability to advance integrated deterrence and layered defense for Canada and the U.S. Alaskan NORAD Region.

BERING SEA — East Coast based Naval Special Warfare Operators (SEALs) seamlessly integrated with USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) during Operation Polar Dagger, in the Alaskan Arctic region, demonstrating special operations forces capability to operate in austere locations to defend critical infrastructure and strengthen interoperability in the region.

SAN DIEGO — NASA’s Landing and Recovery team and the Department of Defense successfully completed the first recovery test for the crewed Artemis II mission aboard the amphibious transport dock USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) off the coast of San Diego, Aug. 1.

PHILIPPINES — The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) with the embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) completed Exercise Balikatan 2023 (BK23), April 28 with a closing ceremony in Camp Aguinaldo, Philippines.

Amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) finished conducting operations while transiting with guided-missile destroyer USS Chung Hoon (DDG 93) and landing helicopter assault ship USS America (LHA 6), in the Luzon Strait, March 17.

Amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) and embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) finished operation Cobra Gold 2023 while ported in Thailand, March 10.

Sailors and Marines, assigned to amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26), pose for a photo after a game of football with members of the Timor-Leste Defense Force (F-FDTL) during the opening ceremony of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)/Marine Exercise (MAREX) 2023 in Dili, Feb. 10, 2023.

Amphibious transport dock USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) with embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) completed Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)/Marine Exercise (MAREX) Timor-Leste, Feb. 15.

Sailors from amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26), are greeted with a traditional dance by representatives of Timor-Leste for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)/Marine Exercise (MAREX) 2023 in Dili, Feb. 10, 2023.

The amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) departed Singapore after a scheduled port call, Jan. 31.

Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)/Marine Exercise (MAREX) Singapore 2022 concluded in Singapore, Jan. 13, following five days of in-person and at-sea engagements that enhanced collaboration between the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and U.S. military.

Senior enlisted leaders from amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) and amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) and with embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) participated in a Senior Enlisted Leaders (SEL) exchange, Jan 9.