The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson returned to San Diego Friday after a four-month deployment to the western Pacific.
The deployment was shorter than the usual six-to-eight month cruises common for carrier strike groups.
Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, the commander of Carrier Strike Group One, said the Vinson accomplished its mission.
"Our operations met the requirements of our combatant commanders and our national leaders," Sardiello said during a news conference on the pier.
The deployment came with an unexpected change in operations after a deadly Air Force V-22 Osprey crash off the coast of Japan in November.
The Pentagon responded by grounding its entire fleet of Ospreys across all services, including those tasked with flying supplies and personnel to the Vinson.
Sardiello said the Navy had a backup plan in the previous aircraft used for carrier deliveries, the C-2 Greyhound.
"The Navy has a very robust logistics supply system," Sardiello said. "We brought C2 Greyhounds from the air wing that is deployed forward in Japan to support within days of the grounding. We were able to continue our operations with no operational impact."
Osprey operations were far from the concerns of 6-year-old Venice Anaba as she waited for her mom to disembark from the ship.
"I miss her so much," Anaba said.
A Navy official said the ship's crew can expect some time off but that the Vinson is scheduled to get back into the fleet's deployment rotation soon.
The guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton and guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett, which deployed with the Vinson, returned to San Diego Wednesday, the Navy said.
