The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group left Naval Station Norfolk on Wednesday for what Navy officials say was for a regularly scheduled deployment.
The USS Harry S. Truman, an aircraft carrier, is the lead ship of the strike group.
The Navy said “the deployment is part of an ongoing rotation of U.S. forces supporting maritime security operations in international waters around the globe.”
The strike group also includes Carrier Air Wing 1, guided missile destroyer USS Normandy, several destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 28 and German frigate FGS Hessen, is scheduled to conduct operations in the “Navy’s 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility.”
Some 6,500 sailors comprise the strike group. Carrier Air Wing 1 includes Virginia Beach-based Strike Fighter squadrons along with a Norfolk-based Airborne Early Warning squadron.
The units will work alongside allied and partner maritime forces, focusing on theater security cooperation efforts, which help to further regional stability, according to the Navy.
The deployment for USS Harry S. Truman follows more than eight months of intense training and preparation that began when the ship completed its on-time periodic incremental availability in July 2017, and culminated in its Composite Training Unit Exercise in March, which certified the ship for deployment.
The USS Harry S. Truman was commissioned on July 25, 1998 as the 8th Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier. Wednesday’s deployment marks the seventh time the aircraft carrier has been called upon to serve; the ship completed its most recent deployment to U.S. 6th and 5th Fleet areas of operation in July 2016.
“The Sailors on this team have been nothing short of spectacular,” Truman’s commanding officer Capt. Nicholas Dienna said in a news release. “After making Truman the first aircraft carrier — in a number of years — to leave the shipyard on time, these men and women continued their level of excellence through one of the most complex work-up cycles ever. Their honed technical skills are what will drive this war-tested vessel to be successful at whatever may come. We are excited to deploy forward and, more importantly, we are ready.”
The Sachsen-class German frigate FGS Hessen (F 221) is also operating as part of the strike group during the first half of the deployment. USS Jason Dunham and USS The Sullivans are slated to deploy at a later date and will rejoin the strike group, the Navy said.
