Spouses, parents, eager children and brand-new babies — the pier at Naval Air Station North Island was electric Thursday morning as families waited for their first look at their loved-ones in almost nine months.
Rear Adm. Amy Bauernschmidt is the commander of Carrier Strike Group 1.
"San Diego, thank you for welcoming us home," she said. "Your continued support for our Navy and our sailors is deeply felt."
It's been a busy couple of years for the ship and the roughly 5,000 sailors.
The ship left San Diego in November 2023 for a short four-month deployment.
Then in the summer of 2024, it participated in the biannual Rim of the Pacific exercise. Once that was over, workups for this deployment began. The ship left Naval Air Station North Island Nov. 18.
This spring, the ship's deployment was extended, and it was directed to the Middle East amid ongoing conflicts with Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Jasmine Benavente's husband is a Vinson sailor. This is her family's third deployment. She said she's adjusted to Navy life but the ongoing war in the Gaza made this deployment a little different.
"This deployment I would constantly watch the news but just immediately pray, pray, pray, pray — and just try not to worry about it," she said.
There was something else that made this deployment different — in June, she gave birth to the couple's seventh child.
"The only big difference is (having) seven children," she said.
Benavente was one of several new mothers waiting to introduce children to their fathers for the first time. New fathers are among the first sailors allowed off the ship.
Capt. Joshua Wenker is the Vinson's commanding officer. He said the addition of a canine crew members helped the crew during its long time away — Captain Rudder, a 2-year-old Labrador.
"He would spend the day getting his exercise in the morning and then traveling around the ship, seeing sailors (and) spending time with them," he said. "It's great having Captain Rudder on board and the plan is he will stay with the ship."
Captain Rudder came to the Vinson by way of Mutts With a Mission, a Virginia-based nonprofit.
Wenker said the crew could expect some time off in the weeks to come.
