Ship homecomings delayed, planes return

NORFOLK, Va. - The return of 6000 sailors to Hampton Roads after a seven-month deployment will be delayed slightly due to weather.

The Navy announced that ships of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group scheduled to return to Norfolk Friday will be delayed one day. The air wing onboard will return to NAS Oceana and Chambers Field as scheduled Friday afternoon.

Delayed by a day, and now arriving Saturday to Naval Station Norfolk, are the guided missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) and the guided missile destroyers USS Mason (DDG 87) and USS Nitze (DDG 94).

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) was already scheduled to arrive on Saturday.

During their deployment, the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group supported maritime security in the Navy’s 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet areas of operation.

Despite the delay in the ship homecomings, 47 Naval Aviators and 75 aircraft from Carrier Air Wing Eight assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt will return home to Naval Station Norfolk, Chambers Field, and NAS Oceana as scheduled on Friday. 

Returning to Chambers Field will be the Bear Aces of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 124 (VAW-124) flying the E-2C Hawkeye.

Arriving at NAS Oceana are the Valions of Strike Fighter Squadron 15 (VFA-15), flying F/A-18 Hornets; the Blacklions of Strike Fighter Squadron 123 (VFA-213) flying F/A-18 Super Hornets; the Golden Warriors of Strike Fighter Squadron 87 (VFA-87) flying F/A-18 Hornets, and the Tomcatters of Strike Fighter Squadron 31 (VFA-31) flying F/A-18 Super Hornets.

These flyers provided combat support to coalition ground forces in Afghanistan while conducting missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Navy says the air wing's aircraft executed more than 3,100 combat sorties totaling more than18,000 flight hours while delivering 61,000 pounds of precision guided ordnance.