The visit offers Sailors and Marines the opportunity to interact with locals, take in the culture, sample the food and see the sights that the tropical island nation has to offer.

"Visiting the Seychelles has really given the crew something to look forward to and relax after several busy weeks," said Lt. j.g. Mark Langford, assistant first lieutenant. "I know one of the reasons I joined the Navy was to see new and exciting parts of the world."

Whidbey Island will also field a soccer team that will play an exhibition game against a Seychellois team.

"We have about 23 Sailors and Marines who have signed up to be on the team," said Engineman 2nd Class Daniel Ogunniyi, team organizer. "We're going to play against members of the Seychelles military. They said they always like organizing a game whenever U.S. military personnel visit. I'm looking forward to it."

While in Seychelles, the Religious Ministries department aboard Whidbey Island is coordinating two community relations projects. Sailors from Deck department will go to an association for the hearing impaired facility to do some gardening and cleaning, while the ship's chief petty officers will go to the Mont Royale Drug Rehabilitation center to paint and clean, as well as interact with some of the patients there.

Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) is offering several different tours while in port, including sightseeing tours, a swimming and snorkeling excursion, and a nature walk. Seychelles is renowned for its diving, snorkeling and the biodiversity on display, including coral reefs, black parrots and giant turtles.

The ship and its embarked Marines are currently operating as part of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, to support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. The ARG/MEU team can respond faster from longer ranges with greater capabilities across the range of military operations than any other conventional forces in the Department of Defense.

Whidbey Island, along with Commander, Amphibious Squadron Six, the 22nd MEU, amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17) and amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), comprise the Wasp ARG.

For more information on Whidbey Island, visit www.navy.mil/local/lsd41 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/USSWhidbeyIsland.


For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

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