NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — On Sunday, thousands of people were excited to greet their USS Harry S. Truman sailors pier side.
Families reunite with sailors as USS Harry S. Truman returns in Norfolk
It was a bittersweet homecoming after an extended deployment that made headlines several times for not just missions, but million-dollar mishaps.
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Carrier Strike Group 8 lost 3 F/A-18 Super Hornets while at sea, totaling $180 million. One of those jets was shot down by USS Gettysburg in December in what the Navy called a “friendly-fire” accident.
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The aircraft carrier was also involved in a collision with a merchant ship near the entrance of the Suez Canal in the beginning of the group’s deployment.
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The strike group conducted missions ranging from exercises with NATO allies in Europe to combat operations in the Middle East, with no loss of life.
“Today is not just a homecoming,” said Rear Admiral Sean Bailey, Commander of Carrier Strike Group 8. “It’s the return of every sailor back to their family.”
Bailey described the deployment as “up-tempo”, and its homecoming reflected that…