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Caption:
At sea aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) Sep. 19, 2002 -- An
MH-53E Sea Dragon assigned to the "Black Stallions" of Helicopter
Combat Support Squadron Four (HC-4) lands on the ship's flight deck to
pick up a platoon of U.S. Marines. The MH-53E is used primarily
for Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM), with a secondary mission of
shipboard delivery. Sea Dragon is capable of carrying up to 55
troops or a 16-ton payload 50 nautical miles or a 10-ton payload 500
nautical miles. The MH-53E is capable of towing a variety of
mine-sweeping countermeasures systems, including the Mk 105
minesweeping sled, the AQS-14 side-scan sonar, and the Mk 103
mechanical minesweeping system. George Washington is homeported
in Norfolk, Va. and is on a scheduled six-month deployment conducting
combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation
Southern Watch. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 1st Class
David C. Lloyd. (RELEASED)
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