USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group Departs San Diego

The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group left homeport Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado on Friday for a nine-month deployment to the the Navy's 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility, which includes the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Persian Gulf.

The strike group consists of aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, along with USS Bunker Hill, USS Gridley, USS Sterett, and USS Dewey.  The nine fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 17 are also part of the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group.

According to the Navy:

The strike group will deploy with approximately 6,200 Sailors and will focus on maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts.... and provide deterrence to potential adversaries, promote peace and security, preserve freedom of the seas, and provide humanitarian assistance/disaster relief as necessary.

As Home Post recently reported, those serving aboard the Vinson may qualify for "Mission Hardship Duty Pay - Tempo" - which would amount to $17 a day for each day a sailor or Marine is deployed beyond 220 days (about seven months).

Navy and Marine Corps officials anticipate the Office of the Secretary of Defense will approve the new special pay before the end of the fiscal year on September 30.

KPBS Article; 8/22/14

Pacific Blue

Carlsbad's beaches remain one of San Diego's best kept secrets, which is just fine with the locals. The north half of the Carlsbad coast is composed of a series of small beaches divided by sea walls. The cliffs here are relatively low and in most places the Coast Highway passes right next to the shore, offering an unobstructed view of the sea and open access to the beach. Well-designed walkways, attractive sea walls and a host of facilities make the beaches in Carlsbad as pleasing to the eye as they are accommodating to visitors.

Historic Boats at San Diego Harbor

Star of India is the world's oldest active sailing ship. She began her life on the stocks at Ramsey Shipyard in the Isle of Man in 1863. Iron ships were experiments of sorts then, with most vessels still being built of wood. Within five months of laying her keel, the ship was launched into her element. She bore the name Euterpe, after the Greek muse of music and poetry.

The Berkeley is an 1898 steam ferryboat that operated for 60 years on San Francisco Bay. A California State Historic Landmark, and a National Historic Landmark. She is, in a word, "irreplaceable."

The deepest diving submarine in the world, Dolphin is responsible for many "firsts", but is not primarily associated with any specific historic event or time frame during her nearly forty years of service. Rather, it is her unique, extreme deep-diving capability that sets her apart and has continually placed the vessel at the forefront of undersea naval research during her entire career. In November 1968, she set a depth record for operating submarines that still stands.