SAN DIEGO — The USS Carl Vinson as part of the Carrier Strike Group One deployed from San Diego Monday "in support of global maritime security operations," according to a statement from the Navy. The deployment of the group marks the first time that a strike group is deploying with the F-35C Lightning II fighter jet and the CMV-22 B Osprey.
"This is the most planes onboard that an aircraft carrier has had in a long time,” said Captain and Commanding Officer P. Scott Miller.
Carrier Commander Tommy Locke called it ”the most advanced air wing in history.”
Thousands of sailors are now on deployment after saying goodbye to friends and family before heading out to sea on Monday morning.
”That’s what I was doing last night, that’s what I was thinking is making sure I touched base with everybody I love,” said U.S. Navy Commander Daniel “Dino” Martin.
The USS Carl Vinson has been based in San Diego since September 2020 at the Naval Air Station North Island after 17 months of retrofitting at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
Along with the USS Carl Vinson, the strike group is made up of multiple aircraft and ships that include more than 7,000 sailors that include nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 2; staffs of CSG 1 and Destroyer Squadron 1; Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain; and six Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers of DESRON 1.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier was docked in Bremerton, Washington while undergoing a complete system retrofit to accommodate F-35C Lightning II stealth fighters. Additional efforts while in Washington included upgrades to crew living spaces and maintenance on the ship's hull, rudders and shafts.
The USS Carl Vinson can carry more than 5,000 crew members and 65 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft; and has the speed, agility, and maneuverability to travel more than 5,000 nautical miles in less than seven days.
It was launched in 1980 and in 2009 became the flagship of Carrier Strike Group One, based out of San Diego. The supercarrier gained notoriety for transporting Osama bin Laden's body to be buried at sea in 2011.
WATCH: Chopper aerials of USS Carl Vinson deploys with more than 7,000 sailors from San Diego as part of strike team