The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is scheduled to depart San Diego Friday for deployment to the Western Pacific and Middle East, the Navy announced Tuesday.
The vessels in the strike force include the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson – its home port is North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado – guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill and guided-missile destroyers USS Gridley, USS Sterett and USS Dewey.
Around 6,200 sailors will be deployed on the vessels.
The aircraft of Carrier Air Wing 17, which includes nine fixed-wing and helicopter squadrons, will be aboard the Vinson. The carrier returned from deployment in May 2012 and underwent a seven-month overhaul.
The aircraft carrier is named after Carl Vinson, who served in Congress for 50 years, including 29 as chairman of the House Naval Affairs and Armed Services Committee.
It has been noted in the last several years because of the crew’s involvement in the 2011 operation that ended in terrorist Osama bin Laden’s death and a visit to the ship by President Barack Obama when the NCAA men’s 2011 basketball season opened on the ship.
The USS Ronald Reagan is also stationed in Coronado.
– City News Service
