GAETA, Italy (Oct. 18, 2023) Sailors aboard the Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) watch the ship depart from U. S. Naval Support Activity Naples, Detachment Gaeta, in Gaeta, Italy, Oct. 18, 2023. Mount Whitney, the U.S. Sixth Fleet flagship, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by the U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied, and partner interests. Homeported in Gaeta, Mount Whitney operates with a combined crew of U.S. Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service members. (U.S. Marine photo by LCpl. Jack Labrador)