PACIFIC OCEAN (May 13, 2021) Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Patrick Whalen, from Bremerton, Wash., prepares syringes of the COVID-19 vaccine aboard amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). Sailors and Marines of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are underway off the coast of southern California. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Sang Kim)