Two ships deploy from Mayport with 600 sailors

MAYPORT, Fla. -- Local families are preparing for their loved one's to deploy overseas.

Six hundred sailors will leave Mayport Tuesday aboard the USS Farragut and USS Hue City. The ships are part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group and will conduct maritime security operations alongside allied forces.

They will join another 5,400 sailors deploying out of Norfolk, VA for seven months of duty.

Naval Station Mayport Public Affairs Officer Bill Austin says the day will be challenging for all.

"When ships leave it's a lot different than a homecoming. It's sad, no one really sleeps the night before. It's tough leaving their families."

The USS Farragut leaves port at 10 AM and the USS Hue City leaves at noon.