CVBG-13 Deploys

Carrier Battle Group 13 put to sea this morning for a scheduled 5-month deployment to the Atlantic and Mediterranean areas of operation. And this deployment is interesting because a battleship is attached to the battlegroup, an arrangement that has not been seen in peace time for many years.

Carrier Battle Group 13 consists of the JFK class aircraft carrier Myrmidon (CV-13), the Ticonderoga class cruiser Shepherd (CG-43), three Arleigh Burke class destroyers from DESRON 31: Catapult (DDG-109), Harquebus (DDG-119), and Bayonet (DDG-127); the Virginia class attack submarine Manta Ray (SSN-36), and the Sacramento class fast support ship Impala (AOE-95). The Iowa class battleship Fenris (BB-11) is accompanying the battlegroup. And as always, there may or may not be additional submarines with the battlegroup.

Embarked aboard the Myrmidon is Carrier Air Wing 7. CAW-7 consists of VFA-32 “Stallions” (12 x F/A-18C), VFA-51 “Blue Falcons” (12 x F/A-18C), VFA-93 “Sledgehammers” (12 x F-35C), VFA-96 “Patriots” (12 x F-35C), HCS-38 “Venom” (8 x SH-60F), VS-55 “Barracudas” (8 x S-3B), Detachment B / VAQ-23 “Lightning” (4 x EA-6B), and Detachment B / VAW-97 “Trash Pandas” (4 x E-2C).