VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — All across the waters of Hampton Roads during a given week, you’ll see Navy ships from big to small, with some of the smaller ones based at JEB Little Creek-Fort Story.
Assault Craft Unit 2, based at JEB Little Creek-Fort Story, operates as the in-between for amphibious class LPDs.
Their ships are capable of carry supplies, troops, cargo, equipment or vehicles from ship to shore. Think D-Day landing — and you’ve got a vision of what they can do.
While these ships may look small, they have the capability of allowing crews to live on them for up to 10 days. They have berthing or sleeping spaces, a galley, lounge and supplies capable of keeping the crew fed, happy and energized for long missions.
When not on deployment, it’s common to see these ships in our area, especially around Little Creek and Ocean View conducting training missions or maintenance.
Also based at Little Creek, some smaller ships you may see include the patrol boats of Marine Expeditionary Security Force Two.
Tasked with protecting the fleet, you often see these patrol boats out in the waters near Naval Station Norfolk. They offer protection to the carriers and submarines as they come in and out of port and provide security for the bases.
Another job they do is protecting high-value assets abroad who may not have protection otherwise. They will go onboard those ships and offer protection for anything designed as a high-value asset.