SAGAMI WAN (MAY 8, 2024) Sailors aboard U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) prepare to launch a rigid-hull inflatable boat, May 8, 2024. As the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship, Blue Ridge is the oldest operational ship in the Navy and routinely operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Thomas Furnish)