The amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) conducted a heavy weather mooring exercise, May 11, as part of Hurricane Exercise-Citadel Gale (HURREX-CG) 2017.

United States Fleet Forces Command directed the training, which tested the ship's capabilities along with the support provided by Naval Station (NAVSTA) Mayport's Port Operations in preparing a ship to remain in port and survive heavy weather.

"A lot of time, effort and resources were put into making today such a great success," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Earnest Pippen, assigned to Naval Surface Squadron 14. "We got to practice the delivering of the lines to the ship, running through step-by-step."

Following last year's real-life events of Hurricane Matthew and the effects the storm had on the southeast part of the United States, conducting training exercises like these help ensure everyone involved is ready to act when the storms come again.

"The big difference between the Kevlar lines and the nylon lines is that while Kevlar would part, nylon has the ability to stretch more," said Pippen. "If a ship had to stay in port during a potential storm, these nylon lines provide the ship with increased flexibility to move while pierside, while decreasing the potential for a line to break."

For many of the Iwo Jima Sailors, this was the first time using nylon lines and conducting this type of evolution.

"Being stationed in an area prone to hurricanes requires us to be prepared," said Lt. Cmdr. Phil Galindo, Iwo Jima's first lieutenant. "This was a great training opportunity for us. Today, we changed out all our mooring lines and secured the ship for heavy weather. It was a beautifully orchestrated event between Mayport's harbor pilots, tug crews, port operations, maintenance team, and Iwo Jima Sailors. Everyone involved did a phenomenal job, and we completed the evolution safely and well ahead of schedule."

HURREX-CG is conducted annually to provide afloat and shore-based commands the opportunity to exercise hurricane preparedness and installation restoration plans prior to the onset of hurricane season.

Iwo Jima is currently undergoing a scheduled continued maintenance availability at her homeport of Mayport, Florida.

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