PEARL HARBOR — The guided missile destroyer USS Chafee left port and families yesterday on a mission that will take it to the Persian Gulf in search of commercial vessels harboring smuggled goods and in a show of force against Iran.

Ship spokesman Ensign Matt Appleton said, "We'll be guarding oil platforms and doing visit, board, search and seizure. Those are some of our primary missions as a destroyer sent to that area."

Two rigid-hull inflatable boats will be used by search-and-seizure teams looking for vessels that may be trafficking drugs or harboring terrorists.

A similar mission led to the seizure of 15 British sailors and marines on March 23 by Iranian Revolutionary Guards during the inspection of a merchant ship in the northern Gulf. The crew was released 13 days later.

The Chafee will join up with the USS Nimitz carrier strike group and operate with the Stennis aircraft carrier group in a show of force aimed primarily at Iran.

The Chafee, which has a crew of more than 350 officers and enlisted personnel, is expected to be gone for six months. The ship will continue to train for visit, board, search and seizure en route, and Appleton said events in the Gulf with Iran "absolutely" bring more seriousness to the training.

Damage Controllman 3rd Class Joshua Stinson, 24, from Lafayette, Ind., said, "I really don't know about that yet," when asked if the seriousness of the mission has been increased.

Cheyla Lemke, who was at the pier to say goodbye to her husband, Electronic's Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Lemke, said tensions always are higher during a deployment.

"A lot of people think they aren't at risk because they are not on the front lines," she said of the Chafee and its crew. "But to me, they are a big floating target."

Making the deployment even harder is the fact the couple now has a little girl, Glory, who is 4 months old.

"He'll miss her crawling, her sitting up, possible first steps," Cheyla Lemke said.

Engineman 1st Class Johnny Cortez, 32, from Carson, Calif., held hands with two daughters, Juliette, 9, and Julissa, 7, and was the last to get on the ship for its 10:45 a.m. departure.

"Unfair" was how Juliette described Dad's expected time away.

Cortez's wife, Carla, was a little more accustomed to such deployments after being part of a Navy family for 11 years and four western Pacific tours.

"As far as the danger zone, I have faith that they are doing the best that they can to take care of us," she said.

The Pearl Harbor destroyer O'Kane already is in the Persian Gulf with the Stennis battle group.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.