USS Tripoli (LHA-7), a United States Navy amphibious assault ship, dropped anchor in Port Area, Manila on Tuesday, Sept. 27, for a port visit.
Details about the port call are unknown as of this writing but the US Navy announced earlier this month that the USS Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group has been operating in the South China Sea "to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region."
While docked at the Manila port, USS Tripoli showcased on its flight deck several units of Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II, a fifth generation stealth multi-role combat aircraft which are assigned to the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 of the US Marine Corps.
Some of these aircraft completed maintenance aboard USS Tripoli while the warship was transiting the Philippine Sea.
USS Tripoli and her sister ship, USS America (LHA 6), were initially spotted while transiting the Philippine Sea last week.
The US Navy's Pacific Fleet said that its Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 and naval air crewman also conducted search and rescue (SAR) swimmer training aboard USS Tripoli while she was deployed in the Philippine Sea.