U.S. Navy sailors aboard the guided missile frigate USS Boone (FFG 28) prepare to attach a pallet of supplies to an SH-60B Seahawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 44 during a vertical replenishment with the guided missile frigate USS Thach (FFG 43) in the Atlantic Ocean on May 10, 2011. The Boone and the Thach were participating in Southern Seas 2011. Southern Seas is a U.S. Southern Command-directed operation designed to strengthen relationships with regional partner nations and improve operational readiness.