Twenty-three students and three teachers from Gianola Hotel Culinary School visited the amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney to expand their knowledge on being a purser, as Capt. Karl O. Thomas, commanding officer Mount Whitney, and other Sailors stand by as Military Sealift Command civilian mariner Norlin Ulad, Mount Whitney's purser, answered questions referring to his job. Mount Whitney is the U.S. 6th Fleet's flagship. It is home-ported in Gaeta, Italy, and operates with a hybrid crew of U.S. Sailors and Military Sealift Command civilian mariners.