USS John P. Murtha conducts flight ops in Pacific Ocean

U.S. Navy Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Alexis Bailey directs Sailors on the flight deck of amphibious transport dock USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) during flight operations with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 in the Pacific Ocean, April 8, 2026. John P. Murtha is underway in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations supporting NASA’s Artemis II mission, retrieving the crew and spacecraft following their return to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. NASA’s Artemis II mission sent four astronauts on a flight around the moon in the Orion space capsule, marking the first time humans journeyed to deep space in over 50 years. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Matthew Green)