American warship returns home after seven months at sea

The American Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS O’Kane returned to Naval Base San Diego this week following a seven-month deployment across the U.S. 3rd, 5th, and 7th Fleet areas of operation.

The destroyer, part of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (ABECSG), originally departed San Diego on July 17, 2024, and spent several months supporting missions in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East.

Cmdr. Rich Ray, O’Kane’s commanding officer, praised the crew’s efforts in a U.S. Navy update, saying: “I am incredibly proud of the exemplary work this team has invested in themselves and their equipment over the past few months. We are proud of the work we accomplished this deployment, and we are looking forward to continuing that success into the next challenge.”

Following the redeployment of wonderfully acronym-infused ABECSG back to the U.S. in December, O’Kane and the USS Stockdale remained in the U.S. Central Command region to conduct global maritime security operations.

Their mission included escorting U.S.-flagged merchant vessels through the Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where they successfully repelled multiple Iranian-backed Houthi attacks using unmanned aerial systems, anti-ship ballistic missiles, and anti-ship cruise missiles. No personnel or vessels sustained damage during the encounters, reflecting the crew’s preparedness and effectiveness in defending against these threats.

Throughout the deployment, O’Kane completed various operational milestones, including:

• 75 flight quarters, supporting 84 rotary-wing landings
• 26 rotary-wing refuelling evolutions
• Nine vertical replenishments
• 24 replenishments-at-sea
• 22 mooring evolutions

O’Kane also conducted a port visit to Karachi, Pakistan, to promote diplomatic ties and later engaged in a maritime exercise with the Pakistan Navy to build interoperability.

Initially, ABECSG deployed to the Indo-Pacific to support regional stability and demonstrate the U.S. Navy’s commitment to allies and partners, highlighted by the first-ever U.S.-Italy multi-large deck operation with the Italian Navy’s ITS Cavour Carrier Strike Group in August 2024.

The strike group later shifted to the Middle East, boosting force posture in the region and assisting in deterring further regional escalation.

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