USS Gettysburg Returns to Norfolk After Five-Month USSOUTHCOM Deployment

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG-64) pulled into Naval Station Norfolk on March 23, concluding a five-month deployment supporting U.S. Southern Command missions. On the pier, a young boy named Zaeden stretched his arms out wide as his mother's ship came to rest at the dock, a scene that captured what dozens of waiting families had held onto for months.

The deployment was grounded in Presidential executive orders and a national emergency declaration, with the ship's performance providing clarification of the military's role in protecting the territorial integrity of the United States. Gettysburg was among U.S. military forces operating in the Caribbean in support of the USSOUTHCOM mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president's priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland.

Commanding Officer Capt. John Lucas credited his crew's professionalism across every one of those tasks. "The 'War Horses' of USS Gettysburg conducted themselves honorably and professionally," Lucas said. "We stand 'GETTY ready' to support our American warfighting team wherever and whenever we are called." In a separate interview, Lucas described how crew morale held firm despite the operational tempo: "They were awesome, they were resilient, I anticipated them being a little sad. They picked their game up and they got after it just like workhorses."

During the deployment, Gettysburg worked alongside both the Iwo Jima Amphibious Readiness Group and the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group while supporting USSOUTHCOM missions. The cruiser's participation placed it within a broader U.S. military posture that has been steadily expanding in the Caribbean over the past year.

The back-to-back nature of that buildup was not lost on the families waiting at the pier. The ship returned to its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk on Monday after the deployment supporting U.S. Southern Command missions, and families and friends gathered on the pier to welcome home the sailors. For many, this homecoming followed an already grueling stretch: Gettysburg had previously returned in June 2025 after supporting the Norfolk-based USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group's nearly-nine-month Middle East deployment, then redeployed to the Caribbean just months later as the military was building up a presence in the region.

Allison King, whose husband served aboard Gettysburg, summed up the strain of that turnaround plainly. "We thought we had him home for good for a while there and then they had to leave again, so it's been long," she said. She also admitted to feeling a measure of relief at the mission's geography: "I was very relieved when I heard they were going to the Caribbean versus out back to the Mediterranean and the Red Sea area."

Alexus Emmert, wife of another sailor aboard Gettysburg, echoed that exhaustion. "I just feel like it has been so long, especially with another deployment back-to-back, it's been so much," she said. Scott Ramar, whose son served on the ship, was more measured. "I don't know about more or less scared, but it doesn't get easier," he said. "He said this one was as hard as the last one." His wife, Melanie, kept her answer short: "I can't wait to hug him."

Shawn Caluia waited at the pier for his wife, his son Zaeden beside him. "We're ecstatic, realistically, there really is no other word to describe it," Caluia said. Colten Givens showed up for a friend, not a family member, recalling his own time aboard. "I was out there with them on the Rough Rider deployment on the ship, and he was a good friend there," Givens said.

Lt. Cmdr. Jessica Fonseca, a sailor assigned to Gettysburg, embraced a family member on the pier following the ship's return. Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Kevin Moreno also greeted his partner at Naval Station Norfolk after the five-month mission.

Lucas closed with a line that carried more weight given the pace his crew had maintained since early 2025. "Nothing is more exciting than being able to come home after being gone for a while and seeing all these folks on the pier that have gone through what we have gone through," he said. As for the crew's fatigue, he kept it characteristically direct: "We don't allow tired. So, if we did, they would be. Just a little kidding there. They are. They've gone through a lot, but they've been resilient the entire time.