Families greet their sailors upon the return of Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati to its homeport of Naval Base San Diego after eight months of sustained operations in the U.S. 3rd and 7th Fleet areas of operations, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Aja Bleu Campbell/U.S. Navy)
The USS Cincinnati returned to its homeport in San Diego following an eight month deployment conducting sustained operations throughout the Indo-Pacific.
Families and friends welcomed the sailors back home on Wednesday after a “long and challenging deployment,” said Capt. James Hoey, commodore of Littoral Combat Ship Squadron 1, according to a service news release.
“This warship demonstrated a strong and steady presence in strategically vital waterways and operated seamlessly alongside our allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific region,” Hoey said.
Mineman Second Class Ethan Crawford, assigned to USS Cincinnati, greets his spouse with the traditional “first kiss” upon return to Naval Base San Diego homeport, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Aja Bleu Campbell/U.S. Navy)
Families and friends welcome the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati as it returns to its homeport of Naval Base San Diego. (Josh Coté/U.S. Navy)
Lt. j.g. Dan Baskin greets his family upon return to Naval Base San Diego. (Aja Bleu Campbell/U.S. Navy)
Families greet their sailors upon arrival of the USS Cincinnati at its homeport of Naval Base San Diego. (Aja Bleu Campbell/U.S. Navy)
Cmdr. Andrew Recame, commanding officer of USS Cincinnati, greets his family after the ship’s return to Naval Base San Diego, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Josh Coté/U.S. Navy)
Families greet their sailors upon arrival of the USS Cincinnati at its homeport of Naval Base San Diego. (Aja Bleu Campbell/U.S. Navy)
Mineman Third Class Christian Nicholson is greeted by his family upon USS Cincinnati’s return to Naval Base San Diego. (Aja Bleu Campbell/U.S. Navy)
Fire Controlman 2nd Class Raul Ruiz greets his family after USS Cincinnati’s return to Naval Base San Diego. (Josh Coté/U.S. Navy)
Cincinnati conducted several multilateral exercises and port visits in the U.S. 3rd and 7th Fleet areas of operations throughout the Indo-Pacific, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Singapore.
Highlights of its deployment include:
July 2025: Visited the Marshall Islands to honor Marshallese U.S. military veterans, co-host Independence Day celebrations and host dignitaries.
September 2025: Crossed the equator and participatied in CARAT Timor-Leste, a multinational exercise.
October 2025: Joined Sama Sama 2025 with Canada, France, Japan, and the Philippines for live-fire and tactical exercises.
October 2025: Participated in CARAT Brunei 2025.
December 2025: Participated in CARAT Malaysia 2025.
December 2025: Co-hosted the ASEAN-U.S. Maritime Exercise (AUMX) 2025 with the Indonesian Navy in Batam, Indonesia.
January 2026: Became the first U.S. Navy warship in nearly a decade to moor at Ream Naval Base, Cambodia.
“I am immensely proud of the crew for their exceptional performance during our sustained operations abroad,” said Cmdr. Andrew Recame, commanding officer of Cincinnati, per the release. “This was a significant milestone, not only for the ship and its crew, but for the entire LCS program.”
USS Cincinnati returned to its homeport of Naval Base San Diego on Wednesday. (Aja Bleu Campbell/U.S. Navy)