Several members of the U.S. Navy's top brass were in San Diego Wednesday to celebrate "The Great Green Fleet", one of its first to be powered by a blend of traditional fuels and biofuels.
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus was on hand at NAS North Island in Coronado Wednesday, congratulating crews as they sail from San Diego.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) and thousands of friends and family members of the crews took part in the ceremony.
The USS John C. Stennis strike group will be the centerpiece of the Great Green Fleet, a year-long initiative highlighting the Navy’s efforts to transform its energy use to increase operational capability.
Commanding officer Capt. Mike Wettlaufer said his crew has trained for the last year for this mission. Wettlaufer said he couldn't be more proud of his team.
For sailor Shawn Martin, Wednesday's deployment was focused on the fact that he'll be leaving his wife with two-month-old twin boys.
“I know he would rather stay and see the kids grow but I'm very proud of him I know he's making a huge sacrifice for our country and for our family,” said Marianne Martin.
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She plans to send pictures and videos of the twins to her husband every day.
Also deploying were Carrier Air Wing 9, guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay and three guided-missile destroyers from Destroyer Squadron 21, USS Stockdale, USS William P. Lawrence and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii-based USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93).
