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April 19 (UPI) -- The USS The Sullivans was deployed to participate in the strike group led by the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, the U.S. Navy said on Monday. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer departed Mayport, Fla., on Monday and will join a multinational force led by the aircraft carrier.
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Beginning in May, the strike group will travel from the North Atlantic Ocean, to the Mediterranean Sea and through the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean before arriving in the Indo-Pacific region.
It will be the first major tour of duty for the aircraft carrier, which was commissioned in 2017.
In March, the British Defense Ministry announced that the frigate HNLMS Evertsen of the Royal Netherlands Navy will join the strike group for the duration of the deployment, which will include operations and training with NATO allies and partner nations.
"It is an honor to sail in this elite multi-national strike group on the frontline demonstrating a fully integrated force that showcases the special relationship that our countries have," said Cmdr. David Burkett, commanding officer of the USS The Sullivans, in Monday's Navy statement.
In March, the U.S. destroyer participated in a successful Composite Unit Training Exercise, or COMPTUEX, with the U.S. Marine Corps' Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The drill employed NATO procedures and communications formats and involved about 3,700 Marine and Navy personnel.
In 2020, the USS The Sullivans also participated with the HMS Queen Elizabeth's carrier strike group in a pre-deployment exercise.
The USS The Sullivans is the second U.S. Navy ship to carry the name of the five Sullivan brothers, enlisted Navy sailors who died together when their ship was sunk by a torpedo in World War II.
