Navy
USS Mitscher sailors welcomed home by families after nearly 11 months at sea
Stars and Stripes
June 16, 2026
Cryptologic Technician Maintenance 1st Class Dorian Marko, assigned to Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57), embraces his child on the pier at Naval Station Norfolk on June 16, 2026, following a historic 11-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (Greggory Fischer/U.S. Navy)
Sailors aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher returned to Naval Station Norfolk on Tuesday after an 11-month deployment.
Assigned to Destroyer Squadron Two, the warship departed on July 25, 2025, to the U.S. European Command area of responsibility as part of a regularly scheduled deployment.
Most recently, Mitscher was in the Arabian Sea in support of combat operations related to the Iran war.
Mitscher completed pre-deployment certification with the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group but deployed independently to U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations in the Middle East and Mediterranean Sea.
It was later integrated with the Ford, Abraham Lincoln and U.K. Prince of Wales strike groups, Cmdr. Stephen Prugh, the commanding officer, said in a Navy press release.
“Team Mitscher continues to take great pride in service to our nation,” Prugh stated. “I’m impressed with the crew’s resilience, perseverance and grit. I could not be prouder of their accomplishments at sea.”
The USS Mitscher is the second U.S. Navy warship named to honor Adm. Marc A. Mitscher, a famed naval aviator and World War II aircraft carrier task group commander. The ship was commissioned on Dec. 10, 1994.
Families welcome home their Sailors as Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher returns to Naval Station Norfolk following a historic 11-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (Greggory Fischer/U.S. Navy)
Sailors assigned to Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher return to Naval Station Norfolk following a historic 11-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (Greggory Fischer/U.S. Navy)
Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Kaleb Chisholm, assigned to Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher, embraces his family on the pier at Naval Station Norfolk following a historic 11-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (Greggory Fischer/U.S. Navy)
Cmdr. Stephen Prugh, commanding officer of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher, answers questions from local media outlets following a historic 11-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (Greggory Fischer/U.S. Navy)
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher returns to Naval Station Norfolk following a historic 11-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (Greggory Fischer/U.S. Navy)