The USS '' Bataan '' Amphibious Ready Group ( ARG ) were the first ships to respond after the 11 September 2001 attacks . The ship was home on leave during the attack and was scheduled to be deployed on 19 September 2001 . The crew was called back from early leave and the ship headed for New York Harbor , as she is capable of acting as a 600-bed hospital ship with surgical suites on board . Once it was determined there were few survivors , '' Bataan '' returned to Norfolk , Virginia . The ship 's crew prepared and onloaded the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit with gear both pierside in Norfolk , and off the coast of North Carolina from Cherry Point and Camp Lejeune . The '' Bataan '' ARG delivered more than 2,500 Marines and their equipment to Pakistan with the aim to enter Afghanistan , thus opening Operation Enduring Freedom . The '' Bataan '' ARG stayed on station off the coast of Pakistan and completed the longest sustained amphibious assault in U.S. history with sailors not touching ground for over four months
11 September 2001 attacks
September 11 attacks
USS Bataan (LHD-5)