NORFOLK - The guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy completed relief operations off the coast of Haiti, as part of Operation Unified Response and pulled into her pier at Naval Station Norfolk on Tuesday afternoon.
Normandy, along with an embarked Mayport-based helicopter detachment, Helicopter Anti-submarine Light (HSL) 46 Detachment Three, were deployed to Haiti and on station for 21 days.
Normandy and its Sailors delivered 125,000 meals of special dehydration food mix donated by the not-for-profit organization "Kids Against Hunger," more than 1,000 gallons of water, plus other food products to include peanut butter, bread, and Meal-Ready-to-Eat (MRE), during a series of assessment and assistance visits to Haitain towns.
The ship's embarked helicopter squadron, which launched from Normandy daily, delivered 75,142 pounds of food and water, 3,000 pounds of medical supplies throughout the Port-au-Prince area, and conducted medical evacuations of 107 injured Haitians to medical treatment facilities throughout the area.
Throughout Operation Unified Response, Normandy performed duties in air surveillance, managed the military data-link, and served as the ready deck ship for incoming helicopters that needed fuel.
Normandy began assessment and assistance missions Jan. 23, about a week into operations, when it visited the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, which lies on the northwestern coast of Haiti's southern claw. Normandy's other missions were on the island of La Gonave, to include Pointe a Perrot, Boden, Pointe des Latanier and Au Parc.
