Community Corner

Two Navy Destroyers Return to San Diego

The USS Gridley and USS Stockdale were at sea for months.

Two guided-missile destroyers returned to their homeport at Naval Base San Diego on Friday, bringing about 600 sailors back from deployments to the western Pacific Ocean and Middle East, according to the Navy.

The USS Stockdale and USS Gridley returned from six- and seven-month deployments, respectively. The Stockdale, which was on its maiden deployment, served with strike groups led by the aircraft carriers Ronald Reagan, Carl Vinson and George Washington and made port calls in Cambodia, Guam, Korea, Malaysia and Thailand.

“It was a terrific, terrific deployment,” Cmdr. Jeffrey Bennett II, the Stockdale’s commanding officer, told 10 News.

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The Gridley spent most of its seven-month deployment with the Vinson, which . The Gridley crew took part in community service projects in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

“We have a remarkable relationship and growing partnership with many countries throughout the western Pacific and I’m pleased that our sailors had the opportunity to experience rich cultures while acting as ambassadors for the United States,” said Cmdr. Benjamin Allbritton, the Gridley’s skipper.

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City News Service contributed to this report.


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