Navy Times reports that “this gator flattop wasn’t planning on getting underway last Wednesday from its Mayport, Florida,nea homeport. Then Hurricane Matthew swirled towards Haiti and the East Coast, the storm’s path becoming more menacing just as the ship sortied on Oct. 5.”

“The state of Florida issued mandatory evacuation orders for the area the amphibious assault ship calls home. As the crew members’ families prepped for the storm, Iwo, on its way north to avoid the tempest, received new orders — a deployment to Haiti.”

“Iwo Jima had just been starting its pre-deployment workups. Within three days, Iwo and its crew were in Norfolk, Virginia, on-loading bulldozers, seven-ton trucks, water purification equipment and forklifts and more into its well deck.”