171001-N-ZS023-020 BAB EL MANDEB STRAIT (Oct. 1, 2017) Quartermaster 2nd Class Taylor Nichols, assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), uses a sexton on the weather deck to plot the ship’s course during a transit through the Bab El Mandeb Strait. America is the flagship of its amphibious ready group, which is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations to reassure allies and partners and preserve the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Vance Hand/Released)