PACIFIC OCEAN -- The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) participated in a show of force strait transit training exercise around San Clemente Island off the coast of Southern California, March 25.

A show of force strait transit training exercise is conducted by a carrier strike group to train the ships to work together when entering a narrow passageway of water.

Princeton, along with aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Shoup (DDG 86), USS Howard (DDG 83), and USS Pinckney (DDG 91), conducted the exercise, steaming as one unified force.

The exercise also included helicopters from the "Wolfpack" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75, acting as the eyes in the sky.

"Our bird is all the way forward," said Lt. Cmdr. Sean Cooper, the air boss of Princeton and officer in charge of HSM-75 attached to Princeton. "It scopes out what is in front of the whole unit and relays information to the group."

Not only does the exercise teach the ships and helicopters to work together, but it trains Sailors to support the mission of the team as well.

"The purpose of this training is to motivate the Sailors and give them the right knowledge on how to support the ship and the team as a whole," said Chief Gunner's Mate Trayvon Turner.

Princeton is currently underway for a composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in preparation for an upcoming deployment. COMPTUEX tests the mission readiness of the strike group's assets through simulated real-world scenarios and their ability to perform as an integrated unit.