Cruiser Bunker Hill Returns To San Diego After Six-Month Deployment

San Diego CA

23 May, 2021

2:26 PM

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By Debbie L. Sklar, Times of San Diego May 23, 2021 The guided-missile cruiser Bunker Hill returned to its homeport of Naval Base San Diego Saturday, marking the end of its six-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. Navy said. The cruiser left San Diego on Dec. 23, 2020, as part of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, said Sean Robertson of the U.S. Navy Public Affairs Office. Rear Adm. Doug Verissimo, commander of the Carrier Strike Group Nine, marked the return by praising sailors aboard the Bunker Hill. "The Bunker Hill crew should feel very proud of what they've accomplished over the last six months," Verissimo said Saturday. "As the air defense commander, they answered the call every step of the way, even during a challenging double-pump deployment under COVID conditions. I could not be more pleased with their performance and resilience." The Bunker Hill's mission was to conduct maritime security operations and naval exercises, Robertson said. Most recently, the Bunker Hill participated in exercises in the Gulf of Alaska. The commanding officer of Bunker Hill, Capt. Shea Thompson, also praised his crew. "Bunker Hill excelled this deployment, and this team's performance honors the sacrifice of past Bunker Hill crews that have gone before us," Thompson said. –City News Service Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.