US and British ships ready to assist cyclone victims offshore Burma

In the previous post I described the mission of the French naval vessel FSS Mistral. An IHT refers to two other naval vessels waiting offshore Burma to assist victims of the cyclone:

Another ship, the USS Essex, is also waiting off the Myanmar coast for permission to deliver aid. The American amphibious assault ship is carrying supplies of drinking water as well as 23 helicopters — including 19 that are capable of lifting cargo from ship to shore and could prove vital in getting supplies to hard-to-reach areas.

A British frigate, the HMS Westminster, is also on standby off Myanmar and ready to help. British official said earlier this week that the vessel was sent from the nearby Bay of Bengal, where it had been on exercises with the French and Indian navies.

Photo: USS Essex, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship (Wiki).