4,000 sailors, Marines set to deploy today

Posted to: Military Norfolk

The Virginian-Pilot
© May 13, 2009

NORFOLK

More than 4,000 sailors and Marines are scheduled to begin deploying to the Mediterranean and Middle East today with the Bataan amphibious ready group, the Navy announced.

The group consists of the amphibious assault ship Bataan and the amphibious transport dock Ponce, homeported at Norfolk Naval Station, and the amphibious dock landing ship Fort McHenry, homeported at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base. On board will be Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Lejeune.

About 360 sailors aboard the guided-missile cruiser Anzio also are set to depart today from Norfolk Naval Station on a six-month deployment, the Navy said.

Anzio will deploy to the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Atlantic Ocean and Persian Gulf to take part in naval exercises with allies, make diplomatic port calls and perform other tasks.

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules of civility. Comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its Web sites. Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Report Violation" link below the comment.