Pacific Ocean (July 13, 2006) - USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) Sailors prepare for the first launch cycle of the day following a transit past Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima was strategically important to the U.S. in World War II as an air base for fighter escorts supporting long-range bombing missions against mainland Japan. Currently under way in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility, Kitty Hawk demonstrates power projection and sea control as the U.S. Navy's only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Stephen W. Rowe