Deployment
The 7,100 Marines and Sailors of TFT departed Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina on January 15, 2003. They were transported on seven United States Navy ships that together formed Amphibious Task Force East (ATF East); otherwise nicknamed the 'Magnificent Seven'. The ships were the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3), USS Saipan (LHA-2), USS Bataan (LHD-5), USS Ashland (LSD-48), USS Portland (LSD-37), USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44), and the USS Ponce (LPD-15). ATF East arrived in Kuwait on February 15, 2003 and quickly debarked their aircraft and ships then headed into the northern Kuwaiti desert.
The Task force’s equipment consisted of 81 aircraft, 26 Amphibious Assault Vehicles, 24 LAVs, 14 M1A1 Abrams tanks, 18 M198 howitzers, and 4 M9 ACEs. (however they only had 12 Abrams when the fighting started.)
Read more about this topic: Task Force Tarawa