“The sailors never flinched”: Eisenhower strike group welcomed back after deployment in fight against Houthi attacks

Sailors aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower begin manning the railing as the aircraft carrier approaches Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Sunday, July 14, 2024. A replica of the combat deployment ribbon was strung over the ship’s island. The Eisenhower returned to Norfolk from a twice-extended deployment in the Red Sea, where it defended other ships against almost daily attacks by the Houthi rebels in Yemen. (Caitlyn Burchett/Stars and Stripes)

NORFOLK, Virginia — Sailors in white dress uniforms crowded the bow of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on Sunday, and cries of “USA! USA!” echoed from the shore to the aircraft carrier and among the crew on the flight deck.

A unique rectangular banner was stretched across the warship’s island – a giant replica of the combat mission ribbon that many sailors already wore on their chests.

The Eisenhower and about 5,000 sailors returned from what senior U.S. officials called a “first-of-its-kind” deployment, which lasted nine months at sea, including seven months in a combat zone.

The aging warship and parts of its strike group were involved in the first air battle against drones and were the first to use precision-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs in combat. The carrier defended merchant ships against the almost daily attacks by the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea in Yemen.

The aircraft carrier’s deployment to the Middle East was scheduled for October 14, but came a week earlier after an unexpected deadly attack on Israel that sparked a wave of tension and hostility across the region.

“On October 7, everything changed,” said Captain Christopher Hill, commander of the Eisenhower. “We didn’t yet know what they would ask of us, but we knew it would probably have something to do with participation in this conflict.”

Captain Christopher Hill sits on the bridge of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on Sunday, July 14, 2024. The Eisenhower returned to Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia, from a deployment in the Red Sea. (Caitlyn Burchett/Stars and Stripes)

The deployment of the Eisenhower battle group led to a series of clashes with the Iran-backed Houthis, a group the U.S. designated a terrorist organization in January. The U.S.-led campaign against the Houthi rebels, overshadowed by the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, has become the most intense naval battle the Navy has seen in nearly eight decades, force leaders and experts told The Associated Press.

The US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, reported missile launches against naval vessels almost daily for seven of the nine months the Eisenhower was stationed in the region. The battle group defended merchant ships and military vessels passing through the Suez Canal that were targeted by Houthis’ attack drones and anti-ship missiles.

Due to the intense tempo of the battle, planned port visits had to be canceled several times. The sailors aboard the Eisenhower spent six months at sea before disembarking and visiting Greece at the end of April.

“But that gave us a mission and a purpose,” Hill said. “We wanted to ensure freedom of navigation, which has been the core mission of the U.S. Navy since 1775.”

There are dozens of references to the Red Sea mission on board the Eisenhower.

A mural in a hallway of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower shows a C-2 Hawkeye surveillance aircraft. Referring to the Houthis’ attacks, the image reads: “Meanwhile, several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are heading south in the Red Sea.” (Caitlyn Burchett/Stars and Stripes)

A mural depicting a C-2 Hawkeye surveillance aircraft reads: “Meanwhile, several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are moving south in the Red Sea.”

The sailors’ water bottles and jackets were decorated with patches and stickers reading “Drone Attack.”

The maintenance tables of the aircraft squadrons were covered with victory symbols similar to those displayed on their aircraft. At the maintenance table of Strike Fighter Squadron 131, known as the “Wildcats,” red and blue stencils of bombs and missiles representing successful combat missions covered the wall from ceiling to floor.

The maintenance tables of the aircraft squadrons aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower were covered with victory signs similar to those affixed to their aircraft. At the maintenance table of the Strike Fighter Squadron 131 “Wildcats,” red and blue stencils covered the wall. (Caitlyn Burchett/Stars and Stripes)

According to Captain Edward Pledger, commander of the strike group’s Destroyer Squadron 22, these clues were a creative way for sailors to make the best of a serious situation.

“As our commanders said, we had to be right every time. The Houthis only have to be right once,” he said.

When the battle group’s advanced 3D radar system begins tracking a potential weapon traveling at Mach 3-5, Pledger said sailors have just seconds to identify the threat. After seven months of fighting Houthi attacks, reacting has become instinctive for the crews of the Eisenhower carrier battle group, he said.

Pledger did not disclose how close the Houthi missiles and drones were to the U.S. ships at the time of the launch, but said destroyer crews could sometimes observe ships and F-18 fighter jets taking out the enemy weapons.

“We have ships and sailors operating for days, weeks and months in the heart of the Houthi weapons battle zone knowing they would be fired upon – and they were fired upon. These sailors never flinched,” he said.

Sailors take a photo while waiting to disembark the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. The aircraft carrier returned to Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia, from a deployment in the Red Sea, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (Caitlyn Burchett/Stars and Stripes)

The group’s air wing fired 60 air-to-air missiles and dropped 420 air-to-ground weapons. In total, the battle group completed more than 13,800 flights and logged approximately 31,500 hours.

The strike group included the Eisenhower, the guided missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea and the guided missile destroyers USS Mason and USS Gravely of Destroyer Squadron 22. Also part of the strike group was Air Wing 3, consisting of nine squadrons.

The West Coast-based aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt was withdrawn from the Pacific to replace the Eisenhower. The USS Harry S. Truman will be deployed to the Mediterranean later this year from the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia.

On Sunday, sailors with their green duffel bags crossed the bow of the ship and made their way to their loved ones.

Down on the pier, Callie Bell stood on tiptoe, searching for her husband. Her right hand was clutching her toddler’s hand and her left was holding a sign. The sign, which read “My faith has not failed me,” was crumpled and frayed from hours of carrying it around.

Boatswain’s Mate Kei-Ard Bell greets his wife, Callie Bell, and their 1-year-old son, Malachi, at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Sunday, July 14, 2024. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and about 5,000 sailors returned home from a deployment in the Red Sea. (Caitlyn Burchett/Stars and Stripes)

“Before my husband left, he promised he would come back to us, and we promised we would be here. But with everything that was happening, it felt like nothing was certain,” Belle said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

A few minutes later, her husband, Boatswain’s Mate Kei-Ard Bell, made his way through a sea of ​​sailors and hugged and kissed his family for the first time in nine months.

After a long hug, the sailor said to his family, “Let’s go home.”