U.S. Navy Flattop Set To Return To Naval Station Norfolk On Saturday
Key takeaways
- Navy Flattop Set To Return To Naval Station Norfolk On Saturday By Peter Suciu,
- The deployment was originally slated to last six months, but was extended after the U.S.
- LPD-17 had returned to Norfolk in April.
Aerospace & Defense U.S. Navy Flattop Set To Return To Naval Station Norfolk On Saturday By Peter Suciu,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Peter Suciu covers trends in the world of aerospace and defense.Follow Author Jun 04, 2026, 04:19pm EDTThe amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima sits pier side in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Dec. 11, 2025. The warship is expected to arrive at Naval Station Norfolk on Saturday (U.S. Navy via AP)Associated Press The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) departed from Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on August 14, 2025. Her 10-month-long deployment is set to end on Saturday. It comes three weeks after the nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) also arrived in Norfolk, ending her record-long deployment.
The flagship of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, which also consisted of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks USS San Antonio (LPD-17) and USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), was among the first warships to be deployed to support Operation Southern Spear, the Pentagon’s campaign aimed at countering narco-terrorism in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.