The USS Preble (DDG 88), part of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 7, returned to San Diego Sept. 9 after a seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific and U.S. Central Command area of responsibility (AOR). After departing San Diego, the ships of CSG-7 were the first on the scene off the coast of Japan following a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and the resulting tsunami that struck March 11. Following their role in Operation Tomodachi providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief in Japan, CSG-7 then proceeded to the 5th Fleet AOR where they conducted operations in support of Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and New Dawn.