Hugs, kisses, cheers and seven new babies greeted the officers and crew of the USS Thomas Hudner on Saturday as they returned home to Naval Station Mayport from the ship s maiden deployment
The Thomas Hudner was the first of a trio of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers scheduled to arrive over three days at the Navy base.
Shavon Echols drove from Athens, Ga., to welcome home her daughter, Shatoya Echols, a culinary specialist returning from her third deployment since joining the Navy in 2008.
Echols and her sister Yvette Mathis held up a homemade brightly colored banner reading Welcome Home We Missed You, Shatoya!!! that was decorated with a hand-drawn house. The sign was made by Mathis young daughter who stayed up till 2 a.m. to finish it, Echols said.
Navy destroyer arrives home to Jacksonville base following maiden deployment, 2 more on the way
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Crew members of the USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) line the rail of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer as it returned to its homeport of Naval Station Mayport on Saturday morning after its maiden deployment. It supported operations in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. (Fran Ruchalski/The Florida Times-Union)
Hugs, kisses, cheers and seven new babies greeted the officers and crew of the USS Thomas Hudner on Saturday as they returned home to Naval Station Mayport from the ship s maiden deployment.
The Thomas Hudner was the first of a trio of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers scheduled to arrive over three days at the Navy base.
Navy destroyer arrives home to Jacksonville base following maiden deployment, 2 more on the way msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A buildup of destroyers has begun at Naval Station Mayport as part of a set of homeport changes that are costing the base its amphibious vessels, Navy officials said.
The arrival last weekend of the USS Jason Dunham continues a cycle of ship reassignments that began in November when the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York left Mayport for Norfolk, Va.
Mayport’s amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima will relocate to Norfolk, too, but the date isn’t clear. The dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry, the station’s other amphibious vessel, was already scheduled to be retired by the end of March.