Navy
GalleryUSS Jason Dunham returns to Florida after a nearly 9-month deployment
Stars and Stripes
June 9, 2025
Sailors assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham, greet their loved ones as they return to Mayport, Fla., June 8, 2025. (Marieliz Rosales/U.S. Navy)
The guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham returned to Naval Station Mayport in Florida following a nine-month deployment to the U.S. European and Central Command areas of responsibility.
Sailors greeted their loved ones with smiles and flowers as they returned on Sunday, a week after its flagship, the USS Harry S. Truman returned to its homeport in Norfolk, Va.
In May, the strike group participated in a NATO military exercise in the Mediterranean Sea following an eventful deployment in the Middle East. The Truman lost three fighter jets in separate incidents, collided with a cargo ship and the commanding officer was fired.
The Truman’s strike group spent more than five months defending merchant mariners and military vessels from Houthi drones and missiles in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The strike group also carried out strikes against the Iran-backed militants in Yemen, which was part of President Donald Trump’s order to conduct daily strikes on the militants until they stopped targeting merchant ships.
A sailor assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham greets his loved ones on his return to Mayport, Fla., on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Marieliza Rosales/U.S .Navy)
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet Commander Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello boards the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham, as they return to Mayport, Fla., on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Marieliza Rosales/U.S. Navy)
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet Commander Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello addresses the sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham, as they return to Mayport, Fla., on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Marieliza Rosales/U.S. Navy)
Sailors prepare to reunite with their loved ones aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham, as they return to Mayport, Fla., on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Marieliza Rosales/U.S .Navy)
A sailor assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer greets his loved ones on his return to Mayport, Fla., on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Marieliza Rosales/U.S .Navy)
Sailors leave the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham to greet their loved ones as they return to Mayport, Fla., on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Marieliza Rosales/U.S. Navy)
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet Commander Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello addresses the sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham, as they return to Mayport, Fla., on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Marieliza Rosales/U.S.Navy)
Sailors man the rails aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham, as they return to Mayport, Fla., on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Marieliza Rosales/U.S.Navy)