Six San Diego-based ships have been diverted to provide disaster and humanitarian assistance to victims of the earthquake and tsunamis in south Asia, according to the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet.

The ships, with Expeditionary Strike Group 5, include the amphibious ships Bonhomme Richard, Duluth and Rushmore, the guided-missile cruiser Bunker Hill, guided-missile destroyer Milius and guided-missile frigate Thach.

The strike group, which departed from San Diego on Dec. 6, will provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to the governments of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other affected nations, according to the Navy.

More than 70,000 people were killed when a magnitude 9 earthquake generated massive tsunamis that swept across the Indian Ocean and devastated the coastlines of 12 nations.

The Navy is also sending the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, according to the Seventh Fleet. P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft have also been sent to Thailand, where they will conduct search and rescue operations.