The Ticonderoga-class guided missile-cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) passes the USS Arizona memorial as it arrives at its new homeport at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Friday, April 5, 2024. (Gavin Arnoldhendershot/U.S. Navy)

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam has arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, its new homeport, about 10 weeks after departing from Yokosuka, Japan.

The Antietam, which arrived in Hawaii on Friday, is now assigned to Commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific and U.S. 3rd Fleet. It is part of a planned rotation of forces in the Pacific.

During Antietam’s transit to Hawaii, the ship made port calls in major naval ports including Suva, Fiji, and Apra Harbor, Guam.

“I’m proud of the Antietam crew for their execution of the Oceanic Maritime Security Initiative during our homeport shift from Yokosuka, Japan, to Hawaii,” said Capt. Victor Garza, commanding officer of Antietam. “I thank the families for the support they give their sailors. It is their strength that enables us to go to sea.”

The U.S. 3rd Fleet operates naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides realistic training necessary to execute the U.S. Navy’s role across the full spectrum of military operations — from combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, the Navy said. 

The Antietam arrived in Yokosuka in February 2013 and swapped crews with its sister ship the USS Cowpens.

In the years that followed, the Antietam regularly deployed with the USS George Washington and USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike groups; it also participated in freedom-of-navigation operations and transits of the Taiwan Strait.

Taking Antietam’s place in Yokosuka is the guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell, previously homeported in Everett, Wash.

The Ticonderoga-class guided missile-cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) as it arrives at its new homeport at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Friday, April 5, 2024. (Gavin Arnoldhendershot/U.S. Navy)

A sailor assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided missile-cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) reunites with family after arriving at new homeport Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Friday, April 5, 2024. (Gavin Arnoldhendershot/U.S. Navy)

A sailor assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided missile-cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) reunites with family after arriving at new homeport Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Friday, April 5, 2024. (Gavin Arnoldhendershot/U.S. Navy)

A sailor assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided missile-cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) reunites with family after arriving at new homeport Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Friday, April 5, 2024. (Gavin Arnoldhendershot/U.S. Navy)

Stars and Stripes reporter Alex Wilson contributed to this report.