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Jan. 6 (UPI) -- The guided missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf returned to Norfolk Naval Station, Va., its home port, after a nine-month deployment of 50,000 nautical miles. The Ticonderoga-class vessel deployed in March, part of Carrier Strike Force 12 and led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
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The Leyte Gulf completed multiple "choke point" transits, including the Strait of Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, the Bab-el Mandeb strait at the southern tip of the Red Sea, and the Strait of Hormuz. The ship also operated in the Arabian Sea and the Arabian Gulf.
Other ships in the strike group returned to Norfolk in November. The aircraft carrier remains deployed with the U.S. 7th Fleet.
"Deployments are our time to put into practice all of the skill sets that we work to develop prior to getting underway. They are where sailors distinguish themselves," said Capt. William "Grady" Musser, commanding officer of USS Leyte Gulf. "I'm proud of the grit and resilience our team showed over nine months away from home, and I'm grateful for our families for their unwavering support. It is only as a result of that support that we are able to do what we do at sea."
About 350 sailors were aboard the ship as it deployed to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. They were greeted by their families as they arrived in Norfolk, Va., on Saturday.
One sailor, Sam Anderson, was welcomed by his wife Holly and their young son.
"He is so happy now, him having his dad," said Holly Anderson of their son. "The holidays, he missed his dad so much. always asking for him, wanting to go to daddy's ship, so I know he's glad to have his dad back now."
