The USS Essex hosted a Tiger Cruise for family and friends on Aug. 14, marking the first time the amphibious assault ship used air-cushioned landing craft to bring visitors aboard. According to the Navy, 122 relatives boarded the vessel at Red Beach at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, to reunite with sailors and Marines stationed aboard.
A Tiger Cruise allows friends and family to tour a naval ship and experience daily life at sea. The visit provides a welcome-home reception for service members after extended deployments.
Once aboard, guests attended a ship safety briefing, then toured the vessel with their relatives. The event concluded with a steel beach picnic—a Navy tradition—on the flight deck, where sailors, Marines and their families shared food, games and watched the sunset over the Pacific Ocean.
The USS Essex returned to Naval Base San Diego the following day, ending a two-and-a-half-month deployment in support of Exercise Rim of the Pacific.