MEDITERRANEAN SEA. The national ensign flies from the mast aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55).
Leyte Gulf is underway as part of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (ABECSG) deployment in support of maritime security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th, U.S. 6th and U.S. 7th Fleet areas of operation. With Abraham Lincoln as the flagship, deployed strike group assets include staffs, ships and aircraft of Carrier Strike Group 12 (CSG 12), Destroyer Squadron 2 (DESRON 2), USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW 7); as well as Álvaro de Bazán -class frigate ESPS Méndez Núñez (F 104). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Zachary Pearson/Released). Original public domain image from Flickr.