USS La Jolla (SSN 762) departed Pearl Harbor Naval Station for a scheduled Western Pacific deployment, April 3.
Cmdr. Doug Sampson, USS La Jolla commanding officer, said his crew is very excited about the deployment.
"This is what we get paid to do," he said. "Everybody's been looking forward to it for months."
La Jolla is heading to the Western Pacific, where, according to Sampson, they will be conducting many exercises with foreign navies as well being available for any tasking which comes down from the Commander, 7th Fleet.
"The opportunity to interact with other navies and other armed forces is always very interesting," he said. "The guys enjoy talking to their foreign counterparts, not only on the shore but on the radios too. The exercises also come with the traditional port calls the Sailors are very excited about as well."
