- Carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower recently returned home after a deployment for the history books.
- The aircraft carrier sailed on the front lines of the Red Sea fight against Houthi attacks.
- Photos show the Ike’s twice-extended deployment in the Middle East.
A US Navy carrier and its strike group returned home earlier this month after a grueling nine months fighting Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
During the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower’s twice-extended deployment, the carrier bore the brunt of the fight in the Red Sea as its air wing and destroyer squadron fended off relentless Houthi attacks and struck inside Yemen, in the process notching some firsts in warfare.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, left the Middle East on June 22 and returned to its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk on July 14. The Red Sea fight has attested to the combat power of carrier strike groups while still increasing strain on a fleet that can’t fight this way forever.
USS Theodore Roosevelt, also a Nimitz-class carrier, is en route to replace the Ike Carrier Strike Group in the fight against the Houthis.
Photos captured operations on and off the storied aircraft carrier during its historic nine months at sea.
