After a nine-month deployment that saw the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group loitering in the European waters of U.S. 6th Fleet as a bulwark against Russia after the onset of the war in Ukraine, the aircraft carrier and its support ships are making their way home.
Most recently, the guided-missile cruiser San Jacinto arrived back in Norfolk, Virginia, Thursday.
“Many people focus on the carrier, but the cruiser and destroyers in our strike group are every bit as vital,” Carrier Strike Group 8′s commander, Rear Adm. Paul Spedero Jr., said in a statement. “San Jacinto has been our work horse, sailing with the Truman day and night and remaining ready for any task.”
The nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 1 landed back at Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia, and Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, on Monday.
The capital ship Truman is expected back in the coming days as well, and the guided-missile destroyers Jason Dunham and Gravely arrived back to the East Coast in June.
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No announcements have been made yet regarding the return of the rest of Destroyer Squadron 28—Bainbridge, Cole and Gonzalez—and they remain at sea.
The Truman, which got underway in December 2021 and whose deployment was extended in March, spent its entire deployment in 6th Fleet, where the air wing completed NATO enhanced air policing missions.
The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group relieved Truman on Aug. 27 in the Ionian Sea, where the mission will continue, according to the Navy.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
