Hurricane Florence, currently a Category 4 storm, is expected to make landfall on Thursday night or Friday morning.
To avoid potential damage from the storm, multiple US navy vessels based in Virginia set sail on Monday.
This included both ships based at Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval station, and the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek.
The US Navy commented on the move, stating: “Ships will be directed to areas of the Atlantic where they will be best postured for storm avoidance.”
US Fleet Commander Admiral Christopher Grady added: “Our ships can better weather storms of this magnitude when they are underway.
“The number one mission is to protect the fleet, to include keeping our personal and their families safe.”
The ships, which were photographed leaving their bases, included destroyers USS Nitze and USS McFaul, guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf and ammunition ship USNS Lewis and Clark.
The US Navy statement added: “Some ships will not get underway due to maintenance status but will be taking extra precautions to avoid potential damage.
“Some of these options include adding additional mooring and storm lines, dropping anchor and disconnecting shore power cables.”
All naval installations in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia have been placed on a tropical cyclone readiness warning.
Meanwhile, an additional 750 South Carolina National Guard personnel have been placed on active duty in preparation for the storm.
Another 200 National Guard personnel have been called in in North Carolina.
South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland have all declared states of emergency in anticipation for the hurricane.
Hurricane Florence currently has maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour.
According to the National Hurricane Centre, “Florence has rapidly intensified into an extremely dangerous hurricane”.