The USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group and its military service member returned to San Diego Friday morning after a nearly 6-month deployment in the Western Pacific.
The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), along with Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108), embarked Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 1 arrived at Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Base San Diego just before 10 a.m.
[[430378543,C]]
Deployed since Jan. 5, the group has been part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led initiative to extend the command and control functions of the U.S. 3rd Fleet into the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. During the deployment, the strike group conducted operations with the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. This included a variety of drills and air, surface, and anti-submarine warfare training, according to the U.S. Navy.
The strike group also patrolled the Korean Peninsula after North Korea began testing ballistic missiles. North Korea called the dispatch of the U.S. aircraft carrier toward its waters "outrageous."
The 7,500 sailors and Marines in the strike group also made port visits to Fiji, Guam, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Saipan, Singapore and Solomon Islands. At each port, the service members took part in community events including volunteer service at schools, animal shelters, and food banks.
