Fleet Week tour: USS Bataan

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - The USS Bataan is one of the largest of all-amphibious assault ships. And now you can check it out in New York City during Fleet Week.

"Fleet Week is a fantastic opportunity for us to come out and really say thanks to the community and give the community a chance to meet some of these fantastic sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen," said Capt. Rob Gamberg, the chief of staff for Carrier Strike Group 12.

Fox 5 got a special tour of the ship: from the medical spaces to the mess deck, where servicemen and women eat, to the tiny berthing compartments where they sleep.

The USS Bataan is 844 feet long, the size of about two and a half football fields. It was commissioned in 1997. It is named to honor the defense of the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines during the early days of the U.S. involvement in World War II.

Captain John Carter gave us the history of some of its missions.

About 3,200 crew members are on board. For some of them, Fleet Week is a chance to visit New York and all it has to offer. But for others, it is an experience that means coming home. Captain Carter is originally from Hampton Bays on Long Island.

You can tour the USS Bataan and other ships in New York City through Memorial Day. Tours are free and go from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m.