Sailors assigned to the mine countermeasures ship USS Defender (MCM 2) clean Nagata Maehama beach on the Japanese island of Yakushima

YAKUSHIMA, Japan (Oct. 20, 2009) Sailors assigned to the mine countermeasures ship USS Defender (MCM 2) clean Nagata Maehama beach on the Japanese island of Yakushima during a community service project. The beach is the most densely used spawning ground of the endangered Loggerhead turtle in the northern Pacific Ocean. Defender is the first U.S. Navy ship to make a port call to Yakushima, located about 225 miles south of the Japanese mainland. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Richard Doolin) File# 091020-N-8335D-101