Allison King and her two daughters waited on the pier for Dennis, a damage controlman on USS Gettysburg, as the ship arrived back in Norfolk Monday afternoon. The cruiser, with its crew of 350 sailors, had been gone since October.
“I was honestly relieved when I heard that they were going to the Caribbean this time, versus out towards the Mediterranean and the Red Sea area. But obviously it's best when they're home, then you don’t have to worry about anything,” said Allison King.
The Gettysburg also spent nine months in the Red Sea with the USS Truman Strike Group, before returning last June. The ship was ready, despite the quick turnaround, Capt. John Lucas said.
“I will tell you you would anticipate morale would be low, but with these resilient bunch of war horses on Gettysburg, they absolutely did not show it if they were sad on the inside. They didn't show it on the outside, and they worked as a team and got everything accomplished,” Lucas said.
He referred questions about what they had done during their five months at sea to the Navy. The ship was part of a large buildup of U.S. forces that participated in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro in January. Operation Southern Spear has also targeted small boats that the Trump administration has said, without providing evidence, were carrying drugs bound for the United States. The operation has killed at least 160 people.
The deployments come after Gettysburg spent years in the shipyard under a controversial overhaul of four aging cruisers, which the Government Accountability Office said wasted $1.8 billion. Gettysburg was one of two vessels to make it back into service. Investigators were told that the ship may not deploy more than once.
Capt. Lucas said the ship will undergo maintenance and he hoped it would stay in the fleet.
“So for now, I have no idea of knowing if it's our last employment or deployment, but, like I said, we'll be getting ready to go no matter what comes next.”
On the pier, families were focused on their sailors finally being home. Theresa and Donald Leroy Newsome were waiting for their son, Chief Petty Officer Donald Newsome of Portsmouth. They have been caring for their young grandson while he was at sea. The grandfather, a retired Marine, says everyone is excited for their son’s homecoming and a little tired.
“He was born when I was in the Gulf, so I already know how it is," Donald Leroy Newsome said. "It's some payback, I guess.”
