three-month deployment along with several ships including , , and . The deployment was centered around an annual exercise called Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2004. Following a two and a half-month SAR period, Fort McHenry was once again put into action as she was emergency deployed to the Philippines after several typhoons hit the country during November 2004. She provided a platform for U.S. Air Force helicopters to bring much-needed fuel into the Philippines. In 2005 Fort McHenry participated in tsunami relief in the Asian tsunami crisis. She provided a platform for six CH-46 helicopters and LCACs to bring much-needed supplies into Banda Aceh, Indonesia. During Operation Unified Assistance, Fort McHenry was joined by many USN ships including and . Following this tasking, Fort McHenry immediately went to the island of Iwo Jima to join American & Japanese veterans for the 60th commemoration of the Battle of Iwo Jima. Fort McHenry deployed for the first half of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2005. This deployment was completed by and . On 31 March 2006, arrived in Sasebo to replace Fort McHenry. The crews of the two ships swapped hulls, after which, on 13 April Tortugas old crew took Fort McHenry back to NAB Little Creek, Virginia, where she was to be homeported. As of January 2007 she was undergoing a major maintenance overhaul at Naval Station Norfolk. 2007 The United States Department of Defense stated on 15 October 2007 that Fort McHenry was slated to leave Little Creek, Virginia, 16 October 2007 for a seven-month deployment to the Gulf of Guinea that the chief of U.S. Africa Command said will exemplify how that new command will operate. The amphibious dock landing ship served as a platform for the Africa Partnership Station Initiative, which aims to work cooperatively with U.S. and international partners in promoting maritime security in Western Africa. The ship sailed to Spain to take on officers for the internal APS staff from several European partners; Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Germany, among them, before heading to the Gulf of Guinea. Her full complement included representatives of U.S. and partner nations' government agencies and non-governmental organizations, all working together to help African nations increase their ability to provide maritime security. In addition to the U.S. military, U.S. agencies that participated were the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Agency for International Development, National Oceanic