USS Dwight D Eisenhower heads home after twice extended Red Sea deployment
USS Dwight D Eisenhower, the aircraft carrier leading America's response to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, is finally returning home after a twice-extended tour.
She has been deployed for eight months – longer than any other US carrier for the last five years.
US Central Command announced that USS Theodore Roosevelt, currently in the Pacific, will head to the Middle East to maintain a presence in the region.
The United States Navy's second oldest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier deployed from her base in Norfolk, Virginia on 14 October to the Red Sea following Hamas's attack against Israel on 7 October.
Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder said: "During its deployment, the IKE CSG protected ships transiting the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb and the Gulf Aden, rescued innocent mariners against the unlawful attacks from the Iranian-backed Houthis, and helped to deter further aggression."
"The United States will continue to maintain a robust presence in the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen peace, stability, and deterrence alongside allies and partners".
The USS Dwight D Eisenhower led the US's response to the Houthi rebels’ attacks targeting commercial vessels and warships in the crucial waterway – which the Houthis say were aimed at bringing an end to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Described by the US Navy as its "finest five-star aircraft carrier", the USS Dwight D Eisenhower was commissioned in 1977 before heading out on her maiden deployment the following year.
The ship is a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, designed for a 50-year service life with mid-life refuelling.
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