The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has returned home after seven months deployment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower returned to Norfolk Naval Station on Sunday after seven months operating in the 5th and 6th Fleet, according to the U.S. Navy.

The Eisenhower arrived along with the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS San Jacinto.

The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group also includes more than 1,800 Navy aviators from Carrier Air Wing Three that returned to their bases in Virginia, Washington and Florida on Thursday and Friday.

The Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf, Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS James E. Williams and USS Truxton, which are also part of the group, are scheduled to return Monday. The USS Stout, which is also part of the strike group, remains on deployment.

The strike group ships departed Norfolk, Va., on Jan. 17, and began their deployment following a Composite Training Unit Exercise.

As the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, the carrier strike group continued operations to maintain maritime security and defend U.S. and allied partner interests.

"Words cannot express the admiration I have for each and every sailor onboard," Capt. Kyle Higgins, the Carrier Eisenhower's commanding officer, said in a statement.

"These young men and women were thrust into a situation no one could have predicted and they responded as only Navy Sailors can -- they adapted and overcame the adversity," Higgins said. "I witnessed their excellence day in and day out as they accomplished repairs never before attempted at sea."

"I am deeply humbled to have the privilege of working alongside them," Higgins continued. "They are what make our Navy the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen."

On May 14, sailors from the Eisenhower and San Jacinto crossed the equator after more than 100 days at sea, becoming the Navy's first "Iron Shellbacks."

Later on, they set another Navy first, surpassing 160 days at sea without porting once because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Navy said.

The bulk of deployment was in the U.S. 5th Fleet where they participated in operations around the Gulf Of Oman and the North Arabian Sea as part of Operation Sentinel to maintain stability in the region.

Navy commissions new LCS USS St. Louis in socially distanced ceremony
Washington DC (UPI) Aug 10, 2020 - The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest littoral combat ship over the weekend, the USS St. Louis, which is the seventh ship to bear the name, officials said.

The commissioning ceremony was the Navy's first virtual commissioning ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is a vivid demonstration of the resiliency embedded in our government and industry teams to fulfill the mission even when confronted with a global pandemic," Rear Admiral Casey Moton said Saturday at the ceremony streamed online from Naval Station Mayport, Florida.

Commander Eric Turner, the future Freedom-variant LCS's executive officer, was the master of ceremony.

"We are here today to commission the seventh United States Navy ship to bear the name of America's gateway to the west, St. Louis, Missouri," Turner said earlier on in the event.

The first St. Louis was commissioned on Dec. 20, 1828, during the "sloop of war," according to Turner, serving in the Pacific, Caribbean and Mediterranean.

The new USS St. Louis is the 22nd LCS to be delivered to the Navy and the 10th of the Freedom-variant to join the fleet, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement.

Littoral combat ships are designed to move fast in near shore environments and are also capable of operations in the open-ocean.

Operations include combating submarines and mines. The ships can also be paired with maritime helicopter for anti-submarine warfare, gunfire support and search and rescue.

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China's new amphibious warship begins sea trials
Washington DC (UPI) Aug 06, 2020
The first of a new class of China's amphibious warships began sea trials this week, according to photos on Chinese social media platforms. Photos on Chinese websites show the People's Liberation Army Navy Type 075 amphibious assault ship departing the pier at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai, USNI and The Drive reported. China's Navy launched its first amphibious warship in 2019. According to a Congressional Research Service report released this summer, China put another amphi ... read more