Mural Unveiled Aboard USS Makin Island

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeremy Laramore | 210415-N-TF178-1084 PACIFIC OCEAN (April 15, 2021) – Mural artists U.S. Navy Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Jesse Moore, left, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Hannah Wolf, an intelligence specialist with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, center, and Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Rothenberg-Roman, pose for a photo in front of a mural aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and the 15th MEU are operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations as part of a scheduled deployment to the region. As the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed fleet, 7th Fleet routinely operates and interacts with 35 maritime nations while conducting missions to preserve and protect a free and open Indo-Pacific Region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jeremy Laramore)  

PACIFIC OCEAN

04.15.2021

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeremy Laramore 

USS Makin Island (LHD 8)

A new mural was unveiled on the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) in the ship’s fo’c’sle, April 15, tying together the past and present missions of the ship’s namesake.
The artists included two Sailors assigned to Makin Island, Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Serena Rothenberg-Roman, and Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Jesse Moore as well as Marine Lance Cpl. Hannah Wolf, an intelligence specialist with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
According to Senior Chief Boatswain’s Mate Kenneth Miles, the mural was completed to bring the history and tradition back to the fo’c’sle, which is traditionally a ceremonious location.
“We’re really trying to show the progression from the past to the present and how the past is always with us and helped make us who we are today,” said Wolf.
The mural depicts the first USS Makin Island (CVE 93) and the current USS Makin Island (LHD 8) that represents the past and present capabilities of each ship. The mural also represents the unity between the Marine Corps and the Navy with an illustration of a Sailor and Marine as one person. A timeline was drawn at the bottom of the mural highlighting notable event in the two ship’s histories, from the commissioning of the first Makin Island (CVE 93) on May 9, 1944, to the more recent Makin Island’s (LHD 8) participation in Operation Octave Quartz.
“We worked really hard on it,” said Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Jesse Moore, one of the mural artists. “I enjoyed the time we got to spend together and I got to work with people I wouldn’t normally work with.”
The mural allowed the artists time to destress and focus their energy on a constructive project.
“Painting has been a big stress reliever for me during this deployment,” said Wolf. “After working all day, I really look forward to coming down here and getting to paint and just decompress a little.”
The mural, which took four months to complete, was dedicated to the eight Marines and one Sailor who lost their lives during an amphibious assault vehicle accident off the coast of San Clemente in 2020.

• Date Taken: 04.15.2021
• Date Posted: 05.08.2021 12:42
• Story ID: 395968
• Location: PACIFIC OCEAN