PACIFIC OCEAN -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Jan. 15, for a regularly scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific with the Carl Vinson Strike Group.

Michael Murphy deployed with a crew of approximately 320 Sailors and a detachment of MH-60R helicopters from Helicopter Maritime Squadron (HSM) 37, the "Easyriders," based out of Kaneohe Bay. The ship joins the strike group as it transits toward the Western Pacific.

"The crew of USS Michael Murphy has trained extensively for this deployment and is ready to execute all missions as part of the Carl Vinson Strike Group and U.S. 3rd Fleet," said Cmdr. Kevin Louis, the ship's commanding officer.

The deployment marks the second time the Carl Vinson Strike Group will operate throughout the Indo-Pacific region under U.S. 3rd Fleet's command and control. The strike group became the first in recent history to demonstrate a command and control construct called Third Fleet Forward when units completed a six-month deployment last year.

Michael Murphy is a multi-mission ship designed to operate independently or with a surface action group or strike group. The destroyer was commissioned in 2012 and is named after former U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy.

Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan, June 28, 2005. He was the first person to be awarded the medal for actions in Afghanistan and was the first member of the U.S. Navy to receive the award since the Vietnam War.

Michael Murphy operates under Destroyer Squadron 1. The squadron is deployed with Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Carrier Air Wing 2, guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) and USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 105).