The Iwo Jima ARG returned stateside as a hurricane in the western Atlantic Ocean threatened high winds and large swells along the Eastern Seaboard.

Amphibious warship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) left Norfolk Va., Thursday, the first time a U.S.-based Amphibious Ready Group with embarked Marines has deployed since December. The departure of the Wasp-class big-deck amphibious ship ends an eight-month gap in the Navy and Marine Corps’ Amphibious Ready Group and Marine Expeditionary Unit presence.

The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit are going to the southern Caribbean in a show of force.

The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group returned to Norfolk on Tuesday after deploying last week. According to USNI News, the three ships in the group turned around to avoid Hurricane Erin. On Tuesday, the storm was passing the Bahamas. More than 4,500 sailors ...

The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group is back at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., to avoid Hurricane Erin off the East Coast, interrupting the deployment that began last week.  The amphibious ready group, which includes USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7),

The Marine Corps has said it needs the amphib readiness rate at 80% or higher to complete its missions. It is currently at 41%.

The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit depart Thursday from Naval Station Norfolk and Camp Lejeune.

More than 4,500 sailors and Marines are assigned to the group, which includes the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima alongside the USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale, two San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships.

Thursday morning, Sailors and Marines with the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) will deploy from Naval Station Norfolk.

The amphibious transport docking ship New Orleans was ablaze off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, as of Wednesday night Japan Standard Time. U.S. Navy crews were responding to the fire, along with the Japan Coast Guard and military. The Japan Coast Guard said it received an emergency message about the fire at 5 p.m. local time.