Gunston Hall Deploys, Joins Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, 22nd Marine Expeditionary

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Anderson W Branch | 220328-N-KK394-1117 VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (March 28, 2022) Sailors and Marines, assigned to the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44), man the rails as the ship prepares to deploy, March 28. Gunston Hall, attached to the Kearsarge Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG) departed from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Ft. Story for a regularly scheduled deployment. (U.S. navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anderson W. Branch)  

VA, UNITED STATES

03.28.2022

Courtesy Story

Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet   

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia — Nearly 300 Sailors and 400 Marines departed Joint Expeditionary Base
Little Creek aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) for a regularly
scheduled deployment, March 28.
Gunston Hall joins the Sailors and Marines of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and embarked
22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit who deployed earlier this month.
“The Kearsarge ARG-MEU team would not be complete without Gunston Hall,” said Capt. David
Guluzian, commander of Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 6. “The dock landing ship provides the
ARG with amphibious landing capabilities and a Navy and Marine Corps-integrated crew essential to
accomplishing our mission sets. I look forward to Gunston Hall regrouping with Kearsarge and Arlington,
ensuring a cohesive, multi-mission fighting force on this deployment.”
Along with Gunston Hall, the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group is comprised of the amphibious
assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) and the amphibious transport dock USS Arlington (LPD 24).
“Gunston Hall is excited about deploying and joining the rest of the Kearsarge ARG and working with
our allies and partners overseas in the coming months,” said Cmdr. Beth Nelson, commanding officer of
USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44). “The ship's crew and our Marine forces have worked and trained extremely
hard to become the capable force that we are today. We thank our families and friends for the support
and the Maintenance Team for helping getting us get ready and out to sea.”
Most recently, the Kearsarge ARG and 22nd MEU successfully concluded a composite training unit
exercise (COMPTUEX), a series of exercises designed to fully integrate nearly 4,000 Sailors and Marines
while testing the units’ abilities to carry out sustained operations from the sea. During COMPTUEX, the
ARG-MEU operated under NATO command and control, which was a first for an ARG-MEU and is
typically only practiced among carrier strike groups. Additionally, this exercise marked the first time a
U.S. Coast Guard cutter participated in an ARG-MEU exercise by providing valuable interoperability
experience between naval and USCG forces.
Kearsarge, the ARG’s flagship, has embarked staffs from Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 6, 22nd
MEU, Fleet Surgical Team 2, Tactical Air Control Squadron 22, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC)
28, Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 2, Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 4, Naval Beach Group (NBG) 2 and Beach
Master Unit (BMU) 2.
The 22nd MEU, commanded by Col. Paul Merida, includes the command element; the aviation combat
element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced); the ground combat element, Battalion
Landing Team 2/6 (Reinforced); and the logistics combat element, Combat Logistics Battalion 26.

U.S. 2nd Fleet, reestablished in 2018 in response to the changing global security environment, develops
and employs maritime forces ready to fight across multiple domains in the Atlantic and Arctic in order to
ensure access, deter aggression and defend U.S., allied, and partner interests.
For more information, visit: https://www.c2f.usff.navy.mil/lhd3/; https://www.c2f.usff.navy.mil/lpd24/;
https://www.c2f.usff.navy.mil/lsd44/; https://www.22ndmeu.marines.mil/.

• Date Taken: 03.28.2022
• Date Posted: 03.28.2022 13:55
• Story ID: 417315
• Location: VA, US