U.S. Navy relief aid ship reaches Georgia

BATUMI, Georgia, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy says it has joined humanitarian efforts to help Georgian refugees by sending a destroyer laden with 155,000 pounds of supplies.

Officials with the Pentagon's European Command Sunday reported the USS McFaul arrived in Batumi, Georgia, with 82 pallets of hygiene items, baby food and care supplies, bottled water and milk donated by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

"Our job was to get the supplies to Georgia as quickly as possible," Navy Capt. John Moore said. "The entire crew of this ship realizes the significance of their efforts in helping to provide comfort to the people of Georgia."

Military officials also said two U.S. Coast Guard cutters have loaded humanitarian supplies destined for Georgia. One left Crete Thursday with more than 76,000 pounds of relief supplies and is to arrive in Georgia within a week.

The officials said tens of thousands of hygiene kits have been flown into Georgia by U.S. Navy aircraft in the wake of its conflict with Russia.