Amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio (LPD 17) pulled into Muscat, Oman for a port visit Aug. 22-26.

The stop is the first port call for the Sailors of the San Antonio and Marines of the embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) since entering the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations earlier this month.

"This visit gave our Sailors and Marines an opportunity to experience the culture of one of our partner nations," said Capt. Darren Nelson, commanding officer of San Antonio. "Our Sailors and Marines had a great time in this beautiful city. They certainly deserved it after all the hard work they've put in on this deployment so far."

During the four-day visit, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation offered cultural tours throughout the city.

In addition, San Antonio Sailors and Marines had the opportunity to participate in a community relations (COMREL) project. They dedicated some of their free time to help keep the Wadi Shab, a canyon formation that supplies fresh water throughout the region, clean.

"This COMREL allows our Sailors and Marines to get off the ship, enjoy the beauty of this part of the world, and most importantly foster relationships with local Omani people," said Lt. Lara Byrd, a Navy chaplain and organizer of the event. "It's exciting to show Oman that we, too, love their country."

San Antonio is deployed as part of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) to conduct maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.

The Wasp ARG is comprised of Commander, Amphibious Squadron 6, the MEU, amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), San Antonio, and amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41).

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For more news from USS Wasp (LHD 1), visit http://www.navy.mil/.