USS Bainbridge sailors underway

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - The USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and the Sixth Fleet area of responsibility from Naval Station Norfolk on Tuesday.

The Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer, commanded by Cmdr Daniel D. Sunvold, will deploy with Standing NATO Maritime Group Two. The ship and its crew will conduct joint operations with various countries of NATO and also conduct maritime interdiction operations near the coast of Somalia.

The Bainbridge has a crew of more than 270 sailors. It's named after Commodore William Bainbridge.

A multi-mission ship, the Bainbridge is capable of prompt and sustained combat operations in any combination of anti-air, anti-submarine, anti-surface, and strike warfare environments.

The ship recently returned from a successful Joint Warrior exercise in October where it worked with fellow US ships and other allied navies.

The Sixth Fleet area of responsibility covers approximately half of the Atlantic Ocean, from the North Pole to Antarctica; as well as the Adriatic, Baltic, Barents, Black, Caspian, Mediterranean and North Seas.