USS Fort Lauderdale completes first deployment, reuniting families

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. — After 11 months at sea, the amphibious transport dock ship USS Fort Lauderdale returned Thursday to Naval Station Norfolk, completing the vessel’s first-ever deployment since its commissioning four years ago.

“The crew recognized that this was our first deployment, and we’d actually be setting up a legacy for future Fort Lauderdale sailors to aspire to. I’m really proud of the crew for setting that mark,” said Capt. Jiwan A. Mack, the commanding officer.

Capt. Jiwan A. Mack, commanding officer of USS Fort Lauderdale, speaks to media during a homecoming event at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)

Hundreds of family members and friends gathered for the historic homecoming, greeting the sailors with hugs, kisses and colorful banners.

“[We’re] really proud and excited to have him home,” retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jeff Guilmain of Valparaiso, Fla., said about his son, Mason, who is a petty officer second class aboard the ship.

Fort Lauderdale departed Norfolk on Aug. 14, 2025, for what was expected to be a shorter deployment, but multiple extensions kept the ship operating in the Caribbean Sea and South America. They deployed alongside amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima and amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio.

A sailor kisses a child during a homecoming event at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)

A sailor hugs and kisses his family during a homecoming event at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)

A sailor hugs a woman during a homecoming event at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)

After 11 months at sea, the amphibious transport dock ship USS Fort Lauderdale returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, July 16, 2026, completing the vessel’s first-ever deployment since its commissioning four years ago. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)

After 11 months at sea, the amphibious transport dock ship USS Fort Lauderdale returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, July 16, 2026, completing the vessel’s first-ever deployment since its commissioning four years ago. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)

Iwo Jima returned in June, and San Antonio returned in April to their homeports in Norfolk.

“After six years [in the Navy], I went on a record-breaking deployment. I’m really proud of just sticking with it, and getting through the whole thing,” said Electronics Technician Second Class Kyle Harmon, 27, of Fairhope, Ala.

The crew helped disrupt illicit drug trafficking and supported humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations following Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. They also served as a primary coordination hub for U.S. government relief efforts after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake in Venezuela, according to a Navy news release.

“People really appreciated what our sailors and Marines were doing there on the ground. To be in a position where we could set sail, pull in, and provide assistance, that meant everything to the crew. That’s something very tangible that I think everybody in the crew would take with them for a lifetime,” Mack said.

Sailors and Marines of Fort Lauderdale also operated with the embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and Littoral Combat Force-24.

“Both of them were amazing. They had some amazing leaders, but just that blue-green partnership, there’s nothing like it in the joint force,” Mack said.

Before embarking on its maiden deployment, Fort Lauderdale’s crew spent nearly two years preparing and training for the mission, Mack said. The ship was commissioned in Norfolk in July 2022 and is named in honor of the city in Florida.

After 11 months at sea, the amphibious transport dock ship USS Fort Lauderdale returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, July 16, 2026, completing the vessel’s first-ever deployment since its commissioning four years ago. (Kaylyn Barnhart Batista/Stars and Stripes)