San Diego

When 13 Navy ships depart San Diego and Long Beach on Saturday for the Persian Gulf, they will carry 6,000 sailors and more than 7,000 Marines, military officials said Wednesday.

At a news conference held aboard the amphibious assault ship Tarawa, Rear Adm. Stephen S. Clarey, commander of Amphibious Group 3, said the 13,000 crewmen and troops will be part of the largest single amphibious task force to deploy from Southern California since 1965. Ten of the ships will leave from San Diego, three from Long Beach. He said the 12,000-mile journey will take more than a month, and the ships are prepared to celebrate Christmas at sea.

Brig. Gen. Peter J. Rowe, commanding general of the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, said his Marines are ready.

“It may be hard for some people to understand, but this is our profession. This is what we get paid to do,” he said. “It’s certainly not easy to walk away from one’s family, especially during the holiday season. But that’s all part of discipline. . . . We are willing to pay a price.”