As part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, the USS Somerset began its maiden deployment from San Diego on Friday, reports 10 News.com San Diego. The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group also includes the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island and amphibious dock landing ship USS Comstock.
Aboard the USS Somerset is a crew of 375 sailors, and 700 Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Pendleton.
USS Somerset is named for the county in Pennsylvania where terrorists crashed United Flight 93 in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Somerset is the third of three Navy ships named in remembrance of the victims of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. The USS New York was named in honor of the 2,749 people murdered by terrorists at the World Trade Center, and USS Arlington for the 184 people lost in the terrorist attack on American Flight 77 and the Pentagon.
