 The George Washington Carrier Strike Group has arrived in the Leyte Gulf area to assist the Philippine government with typhoon relief as part of Operation Damayin. The carrier strike group has eight ships and 21 helicopters which can provide humanitarian assistance to the Republic of the Philippines. One of the first ships to arrive was USNS Bowditch, a Navy survey vessel. On arrival, Bowditch started looking for the best way for the rest of the carrier strike group to enter San Pedro Bay. Super typhoon Haiyan brought debris into the local waters and may have shifted the ocean bottom. While San Pedro is shallow, many of the ships will have to drop anchor away from land and use helicopters and small boats to provide relief. Read more about the George Washington Carrier Strike Group's efforts in the Philippines at Navy.mil. For the Defense Media Activity, I'm Petty Officer Jonathan Sunderman.