Truman, strike group to deploy Friday - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Truman, strike group to deploy Friday

The six ships, air wing and 6,000 sailors who comprise the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group will deploy Friday from Norfolk Naval Station, Va., after a seven-month delay.

The strike group was fully qualified and ready to deploy in October. However, its scheduled deployment was delayed when the carrier Enterprise was seven months late coming out of the yard. Big E’s delay also caused the carrier Nimitz, which deployed from San Diego on July 31, to stretch its cruise from six to eight months. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, having deployed for five months in 2009, had to deploy again to the Middle East in January.

Truman lost nearly one-third of its Battle “E”-winning crew amid the shuffle. This included five of 19 department heads and the ship’s command master chief. But the crews have successfully completed refresher training and certifications in the past four months and are fully qualified for service in 5th and 6th Fleets, the Navy said in a press release.

The strike group is scheduled for a six-month deployment. In addition to the carrier, the strike group includes Carrier Air Wing 3; Destroyer Squadron 26; the cruiser Normandy; destroyers Winston S. Churchill, Oscar Austin and Ross; and the German frigate Hessen.

The strike group last deployed in November 2008.