Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro welcomed the crew of USS Bataan (LHD-5) as the ship returned home to Norfolk, Va., Thursday.
The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, comprised of Bataan, USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) and USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19), returned to its homeports over this week after an eight-and-a-half deployment to Central Command and the Mediterranean.
Some of the units embarked on the Bataan ARG, including the 26th MEU’s Aviation Combat Element, arrived home Saturday with the rest of the Marines leaving later in the week.
The Bataan ARG, with elements of the 26th MEU embarked, deployed in July. It was meant to be a crisis response force for U.S. Naval Forces Europe, but it received redirect orders sending it to the Strait of Hormuz where it acted as deterrence against Iranian forces, which were attempting to seize ships.
It then transferred to the Red Sea as part of the U.S. response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel and then the Red Sea attacks by the Houthis. It was part of Operation Prosperity Guardian before it moved to the Mediterranean following the departure of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group.
Carter Hall and Bataan sailed together in the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz while Mesa Verde stayed behind in the Med.
“The Bataan ARG-MEU is a perfect example of the dedication we ask of our people,” Del Toro said in his remarks. “They were deployed forward, protecting our national interests, reassuring our allies, and deterring our adversaries.”
Del Toro thanked the sailors aboard Bataan, as well as their families. Many of the sailors and Marines aboard the ship greeted their families after arriving back in Norfolk.
‘While these last 255 days have certainly not been easy for them, I am forever grateful to them for keeping the faith, and for believing that their family’s sacrifice in defense of their fellow Americans was worth it,” he said.
Carter Hall also arrived home Thursday. It’s homeported in Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va. Mesa Verde returned home March 17.
