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If anyone were to doubt the contribution that amphibious support ships can make to humanitarian operations, the recollection of an event in September 2008 may change their mind. Hurricane Ike ripped through the Gulf of Mexico causing damage to the coast of Texas, particularly Galveston where it made landfall. The US Navy's Amphibious Construction Battalion 2 was deployed aboard the USS Nassau, a Tarawa class Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA) vessel, to help clear debris in and around Galveston.
The increasing participation of military forces in disaster recovery and humanitarian operations has led to a corresponding renaissance for the amphibious support vessel, which can act as an invaluable sea base not only for the deployment of troops and equipment to assist recovery operations, but also to host a clean and safe environment within which medical assistance can be provided. The French Navy's Mistral class amphibious support ships, for example, contain a 70-bed hospital with operating theatres and a dental surgery to this end. In addition to such vital capabilities, modern communication and computer systems provide a command cen...See the full content of this document
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