ANDAMAN SEA – Engineman 3rd Class Erick Vuckson, from Salem, Indiana, is raised up in an 11-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) by a twin-boom extensible crane (TBEC) during boat operations aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16).
Tulsa, part of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, is on rotational deployment, operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States are directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.
