The crew of the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) conducted an ammunition on-load at Naval Weapons Station Earle, N.J in preparation for an upcoming deployment, Feb. 24to Feb. 28.

“In order to provide the lethal dose of strike and combat power, we must first successfully complete an ammo on-load,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jose Salas, the ordnance handling officer aboard Iwo Jima. “Warship seven is a warship at its core, our Sailors and Marines will be needing these munitions to project our joint power overseas and accomplish our mission at sea.”

Over the course of five days, Iwo Jima Sailors worked with civilian contractors to load and store more than 1,100 pallets of ammunition and ordnance in the ship’s weapons magazines.

“My sailors worked day and night to successfully complete the five-day on-load, and I am very proud of them for crushing the objective safely,” said Salas.

Weapons Department along with support from other supporting departments used fork lifts, cranes, and pallet jacks. Iwo Jima also hosted Sailors from different ships join in on the on-load to provide support and maintain their proficiencies.

“I was very proud the way the weapons team came together and made this ammo on load happen, overcoming each and every hurdle that came their way the show went on to completion with no injuries or accidents,” said Chief

Aviation Ordnanceman David Arthur, assigned to the Ford-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79). “I was also impressed as several departments from team Iwo integrated with weapons lending assistance. We are one huge step closer to bringing the fight to the enemy if called upon to do so.”

The team safely and smoothly transferred, staged, and stored all of the ordnance from the pier to flight deck, hanger bay and upper vehicle stowage to properly secure it in the magazines.

“Completing a successful major on load for weapons is a testament to the hard work and dedication our Sailors put in to make us a warfighter,” said Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Dennell Morris, assigned to the America-class amphibious assault ship USS Bougainville (LHA-8).

Iwo Jima is the flagship of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group which is uniquely positioned to deter aggression, project power through presence abroad, and execute contingency missions with its integrated Marine Corps team in support of U.S. strategic interests.