Miami Fleet Week is full steam ahead, and one of the biggest ships on display at the Port of Miami is the USS Bataan.
This ship is capable of launching marines into action. But it takes a crew of hundreds of Navy sailors to make that happen.
From the view above to walking into the USS Bataan, youre immediately awestruck by its size. Its the length of almost three football fields with a crew of almost 2,000 sailors and marines.
“Explain the use of this type of ship in todays Navy,” WPTV anchor and Navy veteran Mike Trim asked Lt. Karina Martinez.
“This is an amphibious assault ship. So were mainly for humanitarian assistance. We actually just came from a deployment,” Martinez answered.
A deployment that included positioning in the Mediterranean Sea after the Israel-Hamas war started. Helicopters flown by Marines are on the flight deck. But Trim wanted to show you the blue collar, jack-of-all-trades of the ship: the boatswain’s mate.
“How proud are you of your job you do on this ship? Trim asked boatswain’s mate Cody Senters.
“I love everything I do about being a boatswains mate. Its one of the oldest rates on board in the Navy,” Senters answered.
Senters showed us what he does with the marine craft
“The communication of the craft approaching or debarking the well deck itself. We ensure that the water levels are appropriate,” Senters said.
Walking through the decks of the Bataan, you see how versatile this ship is. The hangar bay is where the Marines store a lot of their vehicles and equipment.
“A lot of these vehicles when it comes to, hey, we got to take these onto the shore,” Senters said.
And this week, its hitting the shore in a different way at Miami Fleet Week. The sailors are ready to see South Florida. A week of fun after protecting Americas interests around the world.