Navy
GalleryUSS Lake Erie returns home after 11 months at sea
Stars and Stripes
June 27, 2026
U.S. Navy Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Candace Resendez greets her family upon the USS Lake Erie’s return to its homeport, Naval Base San Diego, on June 27, 2026. (Savannah Blakely/U.S. Navy)
USS Lake Erie received a warm welcome on Saturday at Naval Base San Diego on its return from 11 months of deployment.
The cruiser left in late July 2025 and spent most of its deployment in the Caribbean Sea as part of Operation Southern Spear, the Pentagon mission to disrupt illicit trafficking networks and narcoterrorism in the region. It operated alongside the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group.
“I am immensely proud of this crew and what they have accomplished over the past 11 months,” Capt. Drew A. Borovies, Lake Erie’s commanding officer, said in a service news release. “Demonstrating exceptional readiness, they met every challenge, from leading complex operations to providing air and missile defense. Their resilience and professionalism are a true testament to their character. We are thrilled to be returning to our families, whose steadfast support and sacrifice on the home front made our successes possible.”
It was most likely the ship’s final mission. Lake Erie, a 33-year-old Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, is scheduled to be decommissioned on Sept. 30.
Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie returns to its homeport, Naval Base San Diego, on June 27, 2026. (Aaron Sandovalmendoza/U.S. Navy)
A family of a sailor assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie welcomes the ship home to Naval Base San Diego on June 27, 2026. (Savannah Blakely/U.S. Navy)
U.S. Navy Gas Turbine Systems Technician (Mechanical) Fireman Zacahry Gilstrap greets his loved ones upon USS Lake Erie’s return to its homeport, Naval Base San Diego, on June 27, 2026. (Aaron Sandovalmendoza/U.S. Navy)
U.S. Navy Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class Dalton Williams is welcomed home upon USS Lake Erie’s return to its homeport, Naval Base San Diego, on June 27, 2026. (Savannah Blakely/U.S. Navy)
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Justin Kubu, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 15, speaks to the crew of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie upon its return to homeport, Naval Base San Diego, on June 27, 2026. (Savannah Blakely/U.S. Navy)