Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Andrew Ochoa ()

U.S. Sailors from the Avenger-class mine countermeasure ship USS Pioneer (MCM 9) and members from the U.S. Consulate General Naha, pose for a photo after cleaning up a beach as part of a community relations project on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 8, 2023. This marks the first time that a U.S. Navy ship has pulled into Ishigaki since 2009, and the first that the Pioneer has made port at the island. The USS Pioneer is a forward-deployed Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship out of Fleet Activity Sasebo, underway conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.