Navy
USS Wichita returns to Naval Station Mayport after 6-month deployment to southern border
Stars and Stripes
May 5, 2026
Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Wichita (LCS 13), operating under U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), returned to Naval Station Mayport, May 4, 2026, after completing a six-month deployment supporting Atlantic Watch. (Carter Johnson/U.S. Navy)
The USS Wichita returned to Naval Station Mayport in Florida on Monday after a six-month deployment supporting U.S. Northern Command’s southern border operations.
Families and loved ones welcomed the sailors as they returned to their homeport.
“During the deployment we demonstrated the U.S. commitment to international cooperation and supporting regional security and prosperity,” Cmdr. Travis Snover, Wichita’s commanding officer, said in a service news release.
The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship deployed in November, replacing the USS St. Louis, and joined ongoing operations as the Pentagon increased troop deployments to the border.
According to the release, the ship helped combat “maritime-related terrorism, weapons proliferation, transnational crime, piracy, environmental destruction and illegal seaborne immigration.”
“Our officers and sailors onboard welcomed every opportunity to collaborate with our partners, strengthening our interoperability and shared goals in the area,” Snover said.
Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Wichita, operating under U.S. Northern Command, returned to Naval Station Mayport, May 4, 2026, after completing a six-month deployment supporting Atlantic Watch. (Carter Johnson/U.S. Navy)
Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Wichita, operating under U.S. Northern Command, returned to Naval Station Mayport, May 4, 2026, after completing a six-month deployment supporting Atlantic Watch. (Carter Johnson/U.S. Navy)
Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Wichita, operating under U.S. Northern Command, returned to Naval Station Mayport, May 4, 2026, after completing a six-month deployment supporting Atlantic Watch. (Carter Johnson/U.S. Navy)