More than 6,500 sailors are prepped to return this weekend after two extensions in their deployment to the Red Sea.
Since it left on Oct. 14, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group flew more than 13,800 sorties, accumulated more than 31,000 flight hours and completed more than 10,000 aircraft launches and recoveries, according to the Navy. Within 12 hours of pushing off, it was ordered to sail to the Middle East in response to what Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said were “escalations by Iran and its proxy forces.”
Sailors were deployed to the Red Sea, where merchant vessels and military ships traveling through the Suez Canal have been the target of attack drones and anti-ship missiles launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen. The Houthis, backed by Iran, had targeted ships in the region at times, but the attacks have increased since the start of the Oct. 7 Israel-Hamas conflict, the Associated Press reported.
In mid-January, Hampton Roads warships were part of strikes coordinated with the United Kingdom on Houthi radar systems, air defense systems and storage and launch sites, military officials said. They included the USS Laboon, Norfolk-based destroyer USS Gravely and fighter aircraft from the Eisenhower. While the Eisenhower was deployed, sailors had access to Wi-Fi in certain areas of the ship and could visit the ship’s USO afloat center, which has televisions and gaming consoles. The ship also had a facility dog named Demo, who was tasked to boost morale.
Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com
