USS Truxtun and its crew of roughly 300 sailors left Norfolk Tuesday. The ship returned to Norfolk in October, after spending nearly seven months at sea during its last deployment.
It was part of the USS Truman Carrier Strike Group, which included intense operations in the Red Sea. Before their departure this week, the ship’s captain, Cmdr. James Koffi, said the ship and crew is ready, despite the quick turnaround.
“So the Navy's kind of asked more for us and our families,” he said. “My crew has done impeccably well during the short turnaround. So I really don't focus on the number of days. I focus on the quality of the time and the support of the Navy families.”
The destroyer is being deployed by itself and not part of a strike group, which has become increasingly common as the demand for aircraft carriers has increased around the globe.
“We have a standard that the Navy sets for each and every ship to make sure that we're ready for deployment,” Koffi said. “So we went through those rigors with all of our crew, and I'm very confident of our abilities to execute.”
The Navy has been tight-lipped about the ship’s destination, but the destroyer is expected to join the flotilla of Navy ships in the Southern Command around Venezuela, which includes the USS Ford Carrier Strike Group and the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready group, along with a crew of Marines from Camp Lejeune.
The buildup of forces began in the early fall as the U.S. has struck more than 35 boats that the administration has said were carrying drugs. The strikes have killed more than 100 people.
The strikes have continued even after a Jan. 3 raid which apprehended Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro. The U.S. has also seized several oil tankers, which had been sanctioned by the United States.
Ships from Norfolk have also joined the USS Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which is stationed near Iran as the Trump administration threatens future air strikes while attempting to restart talks of ending Iran’s nuclear program.
