Guided-missile destroyers Mitscher and The Sullivans have wrapped up their surge deployments to U.S. 6th Fleet after getting underway in January.
The destroyers were among four that the Navy deployed in early 2022 to participate in a variety of maritime activities supporting the U.S. 6th Fleet and NATO allies to provide them additional flexibility, according to Navy spokesman Cmdr. Arlo Abrahamson. The Gonzalez and Donald Cook were also deployed to the region.
The Navy said at the time the deployments were not in response to any actions or anticipated actions from Russia.
During the Mitscher’s deployment, the destroyer supported the Harry S. Truman and its strike group, which deployed in December 2021, to conduct operations with the Greek, Italian, Norwegian and Turkish navies.
“No nation can confront today’s challenges alone,” Cmdr. Thomas McCandless, commanding officer of Mitscher, said in a Navy news release. “A more resilient and rapidly innovating Navy, combined with a robust set of allies and partners, demonstrate NATO’s commitment to a free and open global commons. I can say without a doubt that our crew rose to the task. With a 10-day notice, Mitscher was able to onload ammunition and deploy with ease.”
The Sullivans participated in NATO Exercise Dynamic Guard 2022, an electronic warfare exercise, in the North Sea in Northern Europe.
The recent deployments came months after both ships had wrapped up 2021 deployments. The Mitscher’s last deployment supporting the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group concluded in September 2021, while the Sullivans’ deployment supporting the United Kingdom’s aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth for its maiden deployment to the 2nd, 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet areas of operations wrapped up in November 2021.
“While we take time to recover and spend well-deserved time at home, we are focusing our efforts on ensuring The Sullivans can continue to operate at peak performance for years to come,” Cmdr. James Diefenderfer Jr., commanding officer of The Sullivans, said in a Navy news release. “Our immediate mission is the expert execution of our maintenance availability and continued training to prepare the ship and crew for future tasking.”
The Mitscher arrived at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, April 16, and The Sullivans pulled into Naval Station Mayport, Florida, April 18.
