Meanwhile, about 300 members from a small Islamic group briefly demonstrated in Dhaka, the capital, against the arrival of the ships, saying they were a threat to Bangladesh's security.

"Go back! We don't want the warships," chanted the supporters of Hizbut Tahrirat outside the city's largest state-run mosque. A contingent of riot police stopped them from pouring into the streets.

The arrival of the USS Kearsarge came as authorities and aid workers warned that Bangladesh faces acute food shortages after the devastating storm destroyed crops and homes across a large swath of the country.

"We are here to help the people in their time of need," Adm. Timothy Keating, the top U.S. military commander in the Pacific Ocean, told reporters.

The first ship arrived Thursday and Keating said a second ship, the USS Essex, would arrive in coming days, with assistance at the request of the Bangladeshi government.

The ships are each carrying about 20 helicopters that will help deliver water, food and medical supplies to survivors, U.S. officials said. The ships will coordinate with the Bangladeshi military.

Officers from the USS Kearsarge spent most of Friday meeting with Bangladeshi military commanders to coordinate the operation, which will include a survey of the ravaged zone to pinpoint the neediest areas, U.S. officials said.

The actual delivery of relief supplies is expected to start Saturday, said Geeta Pasi, the top U.S. diplomat in Dhaka.

"We are excited to be able to respond to the immediate needs of the survivors," said Pasi.

U.S. medical teams have been distributing water purification tablets in the stricken zones to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases, Pasi said.

With many drinking water wells destroyed by the cyclone, the need for clean water was becoming critical to ward off cholera and severe diarrhea.

In hard-hit Bagerhat district, officials recovered at least 26 decomposing bodies, demonstrating further health risks in the region, according to the local disaster relief control room.

Since the Nov. 15 storm hit southwestern Bangladesh, officials and relief agencies have struggled to get desperately needed rice, drinking water and tents to remote villages.

"We were given some rice and lentils the other day, but that was not nearly enough for us," said Mariam Khatoon, a villager in Bagerhat district.