A San Diego-based guided-missile frigate left Wednesday for a final deployment before its scheduled decommissioning.
The 30-year-old USS Gary is sailing to the waters off Central and South America for anti-drug trafficking missions.
A U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment and units from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Light Squadron 49 joined the Gary and its 240 sailors for the final deployment, which could last up to seven months, according to the Navy.
The Navy is phasing out frigates in favor of the new littoral combat ships, which are fast, maneuverable vessels designed for fighting in coastal areas. On Friday, the frigate USS McClusky is returning home from deployment to prepare for a decommissioning scheduled for January.
The Gary is named after Donald Arthur Gary, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for helping to rescue hundreds of sailors trapped below decks when the aircraft carrier USS Franklin was badly damaged after being bombed off the coast of Japan in March 1945.
