SAN DIEGO -- Hundreds of sailors left San Diego Thursday aboard the USS John Young, 10News reported.

The destroyer sailed from Naval Station San Diego at about 10 a.m., headed for the Middle East.

Sailors raised the American flag on the center mast and headed out of a calm San Diego Bay with no fanfare and the expectation that they and their heavily fortified ship will reach its destination in the Middle East in about a month, remaining there as long as necessary.

Families of crewmembers were not allowed near the ship, but said goodbye from a secure area at the foot of the pier.

The John Young can operate independently, or assist amphibious or aircraft carrier groups. The ship's offensive capabilities include Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles, five-inch guns, and ship and helicopter-launched torpedoes.

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"We have a great crew and we're ready to support the president in whatever he wants us to do," said Jim, a 21-year-old junior officer from San Antonio who could not give his last name under the Navy's security rules. "I feel great. I'm glad to be a part of it."

Another sailor agreed that he was glad to be going. "I think the anticipation of going is worse than going. I think we're ready," he said.

Even before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the John Young was scheduled for a six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf to help enforce United Nations sanctions against Iraq by stopping and searching vessels in the area to check for violations.

Navy officials said the John Young's mission has not changed, but they suggested it was likely to be called into a combat role as part of the U.S.-led military action in the gulf region.

"We can perform multiple missions," said Cmdr. Geoffrey, the ship's captain. "We're not locked into doing one thing."

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USS John Young Deploys

Another San Diego-based destroyer, the USS John Paul Jones, was also sent to the Persian Gulf to enforce the sanctions against Iraq and ended up firing cruise missiles at targets in Afghanistan in the first wave of the U.S.-led attacks against terrorist camps and the Taliban.

The John Young, named for a Revolutionary War captain of the Continental Navy who was lost at sea, has a crew of 50 officers and 300 enlisted men and women. In addition to enforcing sanctions, the ship aids the Coast Guard and Customs Service on anti-drug patrols in the Eastern Pacific.

Some in the crew participated in the Gulf War, while others are now on the first deployment of their military careers.

"A lot of guys are nervous, not really ready to leave their families. But a lot are ready to go," said a 21-year-old sailor from Ironwood, Mich.

The wife of a radar operator on the ship with 11 years in the service said she had no concerns for her husband's safety.

"These guys know what they're doing and they are armed to the teeth," she said, watching from the pier as the crew made the final preparations for departure. "It's the safest place to be."