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Tarawa Prepares for Tigers

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080526-05
Release Date: 5/26/2008 2:17:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kristen D. Loeding, Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- After months of preparation, the amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) will welcome over 600 family members and friends aboard May 26 for the end of deployment Tiger Cruise from Hawaii to San Diego.

The one-week cruise allows Tarawa Sailors and Marines to bring family members and friends onboard to experience shipboard life firsthand and gain personal insight into the mission they have been executing for the last seven months.

"We've put a lot of effort into making the Tiger Cruise a success," said Ensign Darrell Morgan, Tiger Cruise coordinator. "The Tigers, many of whom will be stepping onto a Navy ship for their first time, will embark in Pearl Harbor to set sail for a week on the high seas. They'll earn their 'sea-legs' and gain an up-close-and-personal look at what life is like for their Sailor or Marine."

When Tarawa departs Pearl Harbor, the Tigers will also receive the unique opportunity to observe the traditional 'manning of the rails.' This naval custom dates back to the age of sail when ships would 'man the yards,' spacing themselves equally across the spars supporting the sails, as a means of saluting, or rendering honors. The practice has evolved into the ship's crew evenly spacing themselves around the perimeter of the ship in their dress uniforms as she exits/enters port.

Many of the ship's departments will also have daily static displays set up allowing guests the opportunity to view equipment and weaponry up close.
Throughout the week, guests will observe and participate in several shipboard evolutions and interactive demonstrations, including sea and anchor detail, the Damage Control Olympics, Marine Corps martial arts seminars, and the firing of weapons such as the Close-In Weapons System and the .50 calibre guns.

Tiger tours will be conducted every day allowing guests the opportunity to walk throughout the well deck and hangar bay to see the Landing Craft Air Cushion hovercraft, the 135-foot Landing Craft Utility and other amphibious assault vehicles. They will also tour the ship's medical spaces, the pilothouse, the free-weight and cardio gym, and the Hall of Heroes, which is a passageway dedicated to the Battle of Tarawa, its Medal of Honor awardees, and the 1,200 Marines who lost their lives in that battle.

While guests are enjoying tours and demonstrations, they will be earning a Tiger Cruise Warfare Pin by completing a Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS) booklet. The booklet invites Tigers to visit each of the ship's departments to learn specific items, take a tour of the space and receive a signature upon completion. Once the participant has all of his/her required signatures, they will turn in their PQS and be awarded their Tiger Cruise Warfare Pin.

During the seven-day Tiger Cruise, several activities have been planned by the ship's Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) organization to keep the Tigers entertained. A series of special dinners and movie nights, including a luau the first evening underway, have been scheduled.

"Every evening we're going to have a disc jockey set up in the hangar bay for the crew to enjoy," said Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate Aristotle Villahermosa, MWR director.

"We're also setting up the sumo wrestling mats. For those who like to play games, we've also scheduled several pieces of electronic equipment as prizes," he said.

During the seven-month deployment, the ship's MWR organization has played a vital role in boosting crew members' morale by organizing activities on the ship and subsidizing hotels and tours during port visits. The culminating event for this deployment will come during the Tiger Cruise when a fully loaded 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a 2008 Harley Sportster motorcycle will be given away to a Sailor or Marine during the final bingo tourney.

The Tiger Cruise festivities week will wrap up with a Tiger appreciation dinner and ice cream social the evening prior to entering San Diego harbor.

For more news from Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group, visit www.news.navy.mil/local/tarawaesg/.