6,000 sailors to deploy Saturday with the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group

By Robyn Sidersky
The Virginian-Pilot

Nearly 6,000 sailors will deploy with the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group from Norfolk and another 600 will from Mayport, Fla. Saturday, according to a news release from the Navy.

The strike group includes the staff of CSG-2, USS George H.W. Bush, the nine squadrons and staff of Carrier Air Wing 8, Destroyer Squadron 22 staff and guided-missile destroyers USS Laboon and USS Truxtun and Mayport-based guided-missile cruisers USS Philippine Sea and USS Hue City.

The deployment is part of a regular rotation of forces to support maritime security operations, provide crisis response capacity, increase theater security cooperation and forward naval presence in the fifth and sixth fleet areas of operation.

Deployments typically last six or seven moths, a Navy spokesman said.

This carrier group replaces the Dwight D. Eisenhower group in the Middle East, which returned to Norfolk on Dec. 29.