USNS Peary Loads Up & Shoves Off In Colts Neck

Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck is the departure site for a cargo carrier en route to a convoy supporting America's global military mission.

The sealift command ship USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE-5) cast off Tuesday morning for a seven-month sojourn with nearly 6,000 sailors in the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group that shipped out of Norfolk, Virginia and Mayport, Florida this past Friday.

The Peary is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo command ship that was deployed in 2006, christened in  in San Diego in 2008 and commissioned in 2011. The ship took on an ordnance load at Earle.

Navy officials keep a tight lid on missions and destinations. However, the group led by the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) also includes the guided missile destroyers USS Winston Churchill (DDG 81), USS Farragut (DDG 99) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109), and guided missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66).

The strike group supports missions of the Navy's 5th and 6th Fleets. A statement by the Navy says that the deployment "will focus heavily on maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts."