January 21, 2017 the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group steamed out of Norfolk, Virginia on its third deployment. Leading the strike group is the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) with its almost 6000 person crew. While not disclosing the specific area CVN 77 is heading, the Navy did say the strike group will be performing operations in the U.S. Navy’s 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility.
Watch a Rare Inside Look as CVN-77 Leaves on Deployment
“The flexibility of our maritime force is second to none,” said Rear Adm. Kenneth R. Whitesell, commander, CSG 2. “We’ve trained and we’re ready to operate and fight decisively, and we embody the core attributes of the Navy of integrity, accountability, initiative, and toughness. We are ready, and I am proud to lead this force.”
“We are absolutely ready to go,” said Capt. Will Pennington, CVN 77’s commanding officer. “In addition to the local Navy infrastructure, there is a tremendous amount of support that’s required to get this done; a lot of DoD (Department of Defense) civilians and other entities, and we have gotten fabulous support from them. Our readiness to go today is a testament to them, as well as our Sailors that are on board.” – US Navy
NORFOLK (Jan. 21, 2017) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Seaman Samantha Lauffer and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 2nd Class Christopher Farrell stand by as aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) prepares to depart Naval Station Norfolk. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2rd Class Sonja Wickard
The George H.W Bush is the 10th and last of the Nimitz Class carriers. It was commissioned on January 10, 2009 and recently became combat ready. CVN 77 is the only active carrier with a living namesake.
Featured image by US Navy