PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - The guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for an independent deployment to the Western Pacific and South America, June 13.

Chafee has a crew of nearly 350 officers and enlisted Sailors and is a multi-mission ship designed to operate independently or with an associated strike group. The embarked air detachment from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 37 will serve as the air support for the ship.

While deployed, the ship will conduct theater security cooperation and maritime presence operations with partner nations. Having steadily worked thought a pre-deployment readiness cycle, the ship's commanding officer is confident in his ship's performance.

"Chafee recently returned from a highly successful Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), the final event preparing us for deployment," said Cmdr. Brian Fremming, commanding officer of Chafee. "The crew is ready to deploy and is looking forward to operating again with our allies and partners from around the world."

Chafee was named after the late Sen. John Lester Hubbard Chafee, a Marine veteran who fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal and served as secretary of the Navy. The ship was last deployed to the Western Pacific and South America in 2015.

Chafee is part of U.S. 3rd Fleet and U.S. Naval Surface Forces. U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Pacific and provides realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy, working constantly with U.S. 7th Fleet. The forces of both fleets complement one another across the spectrum of military operations in the Pacific.