SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney returned to Naval Station San Diego today following a nine-month deployment.
Pinckney, along with a detachment from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 75, deployed in January with the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group to the U.S. 7th Fleet/East Asia/Pacific region.
The Pinckney crew in April joined with the U.S. 4th Fleet's Caribbean and Central and South America areas of operation for counternarcotics operations.
``The sailors of Pinckney have helped make the United States a safer place to live,'' said Cmdr. Andrew Roy, Pinckney's commanding officer. ``I thank all Pinckney sailors and U.S. Coast Guardsmen who overcame many obstacles to make sure illicit narcotics will never make it into our homes, schools or communities.''
During Pinckney's deployment, the crew of the destroyer -- along with an embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment -- recovered 9,800 kilograms of cocaine and 2,800 pounds of marijuana with an estimated wholesale value of $720 million. In addition, Pinckney conducted navigation operations and participated in a passing exercise with the Guatemalan navy.
``A lengthy deployment is always challenging, even more so in the midst of a global pandemic that kept us all on the ship for the past six months,'' said Cmdr. Ryan Conole, Pinckney's executive officer. ``Our team was able stay focused and on mission, and we could not have done that without the support of our families and friends back home who were also dealing with an incredibly challenging environment on the homefront.''
