The amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima sits pier side in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Dec. 11, 2025. The warship is expected to arrive at Naval Station Norfolk on Saturday (U.S. Navy via AP)
Associated Press
The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) departed from Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on August 14, 2025. Her 10-month-long deployment is set to end on Saturday. It comes three weeks after the nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) also arrived in Norfolk, ending her record-long deployment.
The flagship of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, which also consisted of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks USS San Antonio (LPD-17) and USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), was among the first warships to be deployed to support Operation Southern Spear, the Pentagon’s campaign aimed at countering narco-terrorism in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
The deployment was originally slated to last six months, but was extended after the U.S. Navy redirected other assets – notably CVN-78 and her strike group – to the Middle East as part of the buildup of U.S. military forces in advance of Operation Epic Fury, the bombing campaign against Iran that began on February 28, 2026.
LPD-17 had returned to Norfolk in April.
Marines And Sailors Already Returning Home
On Monday, United States Marines and sailors from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) began to return home in waves, the U.S. Navy confirmed. The unit was embarked with the ARG, with both expecting to be deployed to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleets area of responsibility last August.
Instead, over the 10-month deployment, the 22nd MEU conducted five distinct MEU Mission Essential Tasks that included embassy reinforcement missions in Haiti and Venezuela during periods of regional instability. The unit also took part in five Maritime Interception Operations to disrupt illicit tracking networks in the Caribbean, and integrated with Special Operations Forces during Operation Absolute Resolve, the mission that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas on January 3, 2026. The 22nd MEU further provided humanitarian assistance in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa in late 2025.
A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 (Reinforced), 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), takes off from Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7)
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kyle Baskin)
“This deployment proved a fundamental truth about our naval expeditionary forces: nobody can do what an ARG/MEU can do organically, across all warfighting functions and all domains,” said Col. Tom “Banshee” Trimble, commanding officer of the 22d MEU (SOC). “I am incredibly proud of this blue‑green team. Watching them pivot from high‑stakes power projection one day, to embassy reinforcement and a massive humanitarian relief effort the next was nothing short of eye‑watering.”
On March 14, 2026, the unit played a key security role during the raising of the American flag at the U.S. embassy in Caracas, Venezuela.
“The Navy and Marine Corps team demonstrated its flexibility and operational reach,” said Capt. Chris Farricker, Commodore, Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and commander, Amphibious Squadron Eight. “Together, the IWO
Next Up: Sail250 Virginia
The USS Iwo Jima and the USS San Antonio are currently listed to be among the U.S. Navy warships that will offer tours later this month during Sail250 Virginia, the 12-day international maritime festival commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States. It is coinciding with Norfolk Feet Week, which will also include a parade of tall ships and allied military vessels, along with a flyover of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the public to experience naval history and international maritime cooperation up close,” said Karen Scherberger, president and CEO of Sail250 Virginia. “As we celebrate 250 years of the United States Navy and America’s Semiquincentennial, Norfolk will once again demonstrate why our region is recognized around the world as a global harbor of friendship and goodwill.”
Sail250 Virginia and the Fleet Week events will also be a bit of a temporary farewell for LHD-7. Later this summer, the USS Iwo Jima will undergo a major, multi-year maintenance and modernization availability at the BAE Systems shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia, which is expected to last two years.
However, when the more than $200 million refit is completed, USS Iwo Jima will be even more capable, able to operate with the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II. LHD-7 is the third United States Navy warship to be named in memory of the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima, fought between February 19 and March 26, 1945.
The USS Kearsarge (LHD-3), amphibious assault ship, departs from the port of New Orleans during Sail 250 New Orleans, June 1, 2026.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Van Hoang)
Another Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3), is expected to be deployed to the Caribbean in the coming weeks. LHD-3 has also taken part in multiple 250th anniversary events, including Fleet Week Houston in April and at last week’s inaugural Sail250 event in New Orleans.