by After a 12-month deployment across the U.S. 3rd and 7th Fleet areas of operation in the Pacific Ocean, the littoral combat ship USS Savannah returned to Naval Base San Diego this week.
The modern battleship, which can stay in theater for extended missions because it has two crews, was deployed for the first time.
Capt. Jose Roman, commodore of Littoral Combat Ship Squadron 1, welcomed the Savannah’s crew home Thursday, saying, “It’s an honor to welcome them home after a long and challenging deployment.”
“This warship worked closely with our allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific and demonstrated strength in presence in strategically important waterways,” he said. I’m confident that the families present are as proud of their sailors as I am.
To improve regional maritime cooperation and interoperability between the United States and its allies, the Savannah made many port visits and multilateral exercises throughout the area, including stops at Cambodia, Singapore, Brunei, Palau, the Philippines, and the Marshall Islands.
In May, it took part in live-fire drills with ships from the Philippine and Japanese fleets as part of Exercise Balikatan 2025, and it was the first U.S. Navy ship to visit a port in Cambodia in eight years.
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The Savannah is a distinctive trimaran littoral warship of the Independence class. It has a main gun, machine guns, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, and two helicopters. It is 418 feet long. It can sprint at over 50 mph and is intended to operate in near-shore situations.
The Navy currently has 16 Independence-class ships in service, all of which are headquartered in San Diego, and Austal USA is building one more.
