USS San Antonio was out for four months after a previous nine-month deployment ended in April. Capt. Matt Gleason said the crew had very little downtime during the last four-month stint.
“We kept an upbeat mentality, very positive. We were heavily employed, so there was no boredom or time to sit around and really worry, and just do that while also maintaining comms with our families back home,” he said.
Fleet and Family Services brought counselors on board before the ship arrived at Norfolk, to help sailors reintegrate with families.
The crew of 355 sailors, has been part of the U.S. campaign to target small boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Gleason would not comment on specific missions. Since August 2025, the Navy has been targeting boats suspected of carrying drugs, while providing little evidence of their involvement in the drug trade. At least 231 people have been killed.
Navy photos show USS San Antonio participating in a raid in September, where the crew of the suspected drug boat was escorted to the ship, before the ship was destroyed. On September 7, the crew of another ship was removed by sailors from USS San Antonio before the boat was destroyed, according to the Navy.
The ship, which can also carry up to 700 Marines, participated in the humanitarian relief in the aftermath of an earthquake in Venezuela.
On the pier at Naval Station Norfolk, families acknowledged the recent grueling pace of deployment while they welcomed their sailors home. Brandi Watson waited with her two small grandchildren for their mother, MC1 Tyra Watson. Her daughter deployed to Japan before being assigned to USS San Antonio, but that was before she became a mom.
“It's been long and worrisome because you're worried about her. You're worried about them,” she said. “Worried making sure they're adjusting to everything. This is her first deployment with kids. The worry really shifts to them and her being safe and getting home quickly and safely.”
Ray Kunze was dressed in American flag overalls, waiting for his son Logan to leave the ship. A retired Navy veteran, he said it was difficult to see his son’s shipmates being tasked with so many deployments.
“I'm grateful for an entire ship full of young men and women that want to carry that banner of freedom into the next generation. So very proud, very proud,” he said.
