Navy and Marines, Ready and Wasted

[selenite0]

One of the bits I heard early on about the disaster was that the helicopter carrier USS Bataan was in position near New Orleans and arrived shortly after the hurricane passed over. Then I didn't hear much more about it, but I figured it just wasn't getting publicized. Nope. A floating power station, fresh water generator, and hospital, carrying a bunch of helicopters and boats, got ignored. I expect a certain level of incompetence in any organization. I know the logistics of getting heavy trucks through an area with damaged bridges is tough. But this pisses me off.

UPDATE: It looks like the helicopter squadron was used, running full out in fact. But the rest of the ship's capabilities, not so much.