Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Stevie Tate of the USS Arlington writes of USS Arlington’s return to her homeport, Norfolk, VA after her maiden deployment.
The crew was deployed for seven months, completing missions in national security and maritime security operations. The ship transited 36,740 nautical miles and made port visits to Lisbon; Souda Bay, Greece; Eilate, Israel; Aqaba, Jordan; Bahrain; Kuwait; Abu Dhabi and Marseilles.
Arlington’s Captain, Sean Bailey was quoted as saying, “the Sailors and Marines of the Arlington team performed superbly on this historic deployment, which not only made a significant impact on regional stability in key maritime areas, but also contributed to global security through our presence and maritime interdiction operations. Arlington’s maiden deployment marks the opening chapter in what I’m positive will be a long and outstanding legacy of naval excellence. Each member of the crew should be justifiably proud of their personal contribution to the defense of our nation.”
USS Arlington is named in honor of the 184 people murdered at the Pentagon in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and carries steel and artifacts from the Pentagon.
