NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. – The USS Mason deployed from Naval Station Mayport Friday for the eastern Mediterranean as part of an effort to deter hostile actions against Israel and an expansion of the war underway, the Navy said Saturday.
The ship has a crew of 329, according to the Navy. Retired Admiral Bob Natter told News4JAX the ship and its crew could be gone for months, and whatever happens, the Navy will be prepared.
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The USS Mason is a guided missile destroyer armed with torpedoes, a mounted gun, missiles and a defense system. Natter describes it as an advanced and versatile ship with a number of mission areas.
“Number one is air defense,” he said. “It has very capable surface to air missile range and then speed to intercept any incoming aircraft or hostile missile.”
In a statement Saturday, the Navy said the ship departed Mayport for a scheduled deployment as part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, which includes an aircraft carrier comprised of more than 5,000 sailors.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also said Saturday that he directed the carrier strike group to begin moving to the Eastern Mediterranean. The goal, Austin says, is deterrence.
“But if deterrence fails, they’re there in order to strike or undertake the orders of the Commander in Chief,” Natter said.
In a statement, the USS Mason’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Justin B. Smith, said, “I am extremely proud of the incredible work this crew has put in over the past year and a half. I am excited to see us excel in our assignments as we head east with the strike group. Mason is more than ready to answer the call for any tasking we may receive.”
The ship’s motto, “Proudly We Serve,” was displayed on command ballcaps as sailors prepared for the long journey ahead. Natter said in general, it takes a ship like the Mason a week to ten days to travel to the eastern Mediterranean, although it can be expedited in emergencies.