Taken aboard USS Catamount, LSD 17, sometime 1945 in the Pacific

U.S. Marines attending to their equipment en route to their next mission. Tanken by my father-in-law, one of the ship's officers. The LSD (Landing Ship Dock) was a transport ship with a large open well that ran most of the length of the center of the ship. Landing craft were loaded in the dry well for transport. When ready to deploy the landing craft, the well was flooded, a gate at the aft of the ship opened and the landing craft with their Marines and equipment would power out to the open water.Submitted for the "Soldiers" theme in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Marines do not like to be referred to as soldiers. They are Marines, I apologize for any offense.