Thousands of Navy family members cheered Tuesday morning as the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt docked at its berth at Naval Air Station North Island.
The last time its crew saw the San Diego skyline was nine months ago, when they departed for what was supposed to be a scheduled seven-month deployment to the western Pacific.
However, due to instability in the Middle East tied to the ongoing Israeli war on Hamas — including frequent missile and drone attacks on U.S. ships by Houthi rebels in Yemen — the ship was sent to the region in July.
Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 9, said the changing missions demonstrated the ship's worth.
"It shows the inherent flexibility of a carrier strike group — that no matter where the crisis is, where the contingency is, where the operation is — we can quickly respond anywhere around the world," Alexander said. "We were extended a total number of four different times."
Capt. Brian Schrum, the Roosevelt's commanding officer, said the extended time away took its toll on sailors.
"It is great to be back home here in San Diego," Schrum said. "We are very, very excited to be back — very tired, but excited."
The guided-missile destroyer USS Russell also returned to San Diego on Tuesday. It left in January as part of the Roosevelt's strike group.
After the long deployment, the crew of the Roosevelt can expect to be home for a while, a Navy official told KPBS. The next carrier due to deploy from San Diego is the USS Carl Vinson, which is scheduled to leave by the end of the year.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, San Diego's third carrier, left on deployment in July. By August, it was on station in the 5th Fleet area of operations in the Middle East, where it remains today.
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A family waits outside the Naval Air Station North Island dock holding a sign that says "Marcus welcome home" on Oct. 15, 2024.
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Families wait for their loved ones hold signs through the fence keeping them off the dock aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt prepares to unload on Oct. 15, 2024 at the Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado Island.
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People wait for the sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt to depart on Oct. 15, 2024 at the Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado Island.
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A navy mom looks for her son on the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt on Oct. 15, 2024 at the Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado Island.
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Families wait pier side at Naval Air Station North Island for their sailors to disembark from the USS Theodore Roosevelt on Oct. 15, 2024 after a nine-month deployment.
Carolyne Corelis
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Two families wait for their loved one aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt on Oct. 15, 2024 at the Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado Island.
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Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, commander, Carrier Strike Group 9 speaks in front of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt on Oct. 15, 2024 at the Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado Island.
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A family reunites with their loved one after he departs the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt on Oct. 15, 2024 at the Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado Island.
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Sailors depart the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt on Oct. 15, 2024 at the Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado Island.
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A sailor walking through the crowd after leaving the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt on Oct. 15, 2024 at the Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado Island.
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A sailor walks through the crowd after departing from the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt on Oct. 15, 2024 at the Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado Island.
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A sailor's child helps his mother push his belongings after departing from the the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt on Oct. 15, 2024 at the Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado Island.
