SAN DIEGO - The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), is scheduled to depart Sept. 1 for an eight-month deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean and Arabian Gulf as part of the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) Strike Group (JCSSG).

JCSSG is returning to the Western Pacific and U.S. Central Command areas of responsibility four months ahead of schedule after recently completing a seven-month deployment in March.

The ship is named for the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War in 1864.

U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Eastern Pacific from the West Coast of North America to the international date line and is responsible for providing realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy.