October 31, 2001: USS Essex LHD-2 off East Timor.

March 11, 2002: From left to right; USS Germantown LSD-42, USS Essex LHD-2, USS Juneau LPD-10 and
USS Ft. McHenry LSD-43 in the Pacific during Blue-Green Workups training exercise.

March 14, 2002: American and Japanese color guards present their country's flag during the 57th Anniversary Commemoration of the Battle of Iwo Jima. The USS Essex LHD-2 is seen in the background.

February 28, 2003: USS Essex LHD-2 moored at White Beach Port, Okinawa, Japan with the Japanese ships
Shimakaze DDG-172, Myoukou DDG-175, Hamagiri DD-155 and the Japanese submarine Natsushro SS-584.

May 5, 2003: USS Essex LHD-2 in the Philippine Sea during Tandem Thrust 03.