With the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Adelaide (Oliver Hazard Perry) Class: Frigate, Her MajestyÕs Australian Ship (HMAS) NEWCASTLE (FFG 06) underway in the background, two US Navy (USN) F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft, assigned to the “Tophatters” of Strike Fighter Squadron Fourteen (VFA-14), prepare to launch from the flight deck of the USN Aircraft Carrier, USS NIMITZ (CVN 68). The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is currently on a regularly scheduled deployment participating in Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the Persian Gulf area.