There was another homecoming at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Tuesday as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG-57) concluded an 11-month deployment to the U.S 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations. The United States Navy announced that the warship, assigned to Destroyer Squadron Two, had conducted pre-deployment certification as part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group last summer, but was then “deployed independently.”
DDG-57 departed Naval Station Norfolk on July 25, 2025, and spent a total of 327 days at sea.
“Team Mitscher continues to take great pride in service to our nation,” said Cmdr. Stephen Prugh, commanding officer of DDG-57, in a U.S. Navy press release.
“This team has worked tirelessly over the last 11 months operating throughout the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations as an independent deployer and integrating with the Gerald R. Ford, Abraham Lincoln, and UK Prince of Wales Strike Groups,” added Prugh. “I’m impressed with the crew’s resilience, perseverance, and grit. I could not be prouder of their accomplishments at sea. Seize the Day!”
DDG-57’s deployment was actually one day longer than that of the U.S. Navy’s newest and largest supercarrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), which returned to Naval Station Norfolk last month after spending 326-days at sea, the longest-ever for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the longest for any carrier since the Vietnam War.
USS Mitscher also set the record for the longest deployment of a U.S. Navy destroyer, surpassing the previous record held by USS Carney (DDG-64), which remained at sea for 235 days from September 2023 to May 2024. Prior to that, the USS Stout (DDG-55) had made headlines for its then-record-breaking deployment where it remained at sea for 215 consecutive days without a single port visit due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
Service In The 5th and 6th Fleet Areas Of Operations
During the 11-month-long deployment, USS Mitscher operated in the 6th Fleet area of responsibility, including in the Northern Atlantic Ocean, where the warship took part in NATO exercises with the UK Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales earlier this year.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer was also part of the U.S. Navy’s buildup of forces in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, and took part in Operation Epic Fury, supporting the Nimitz-class supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in the Middle East.
An Old Workhorse Destroyer
Commissioned on December 10, 1994, USS Mitscher is one of the U.S. Navy’s oldest active destroyers. The vessel, which was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., is part of the original “Flight I” group of Arleigh Burke-class.
“Equipped with the Aegis combat system, Mitscher provides multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities to conduct anti-air, anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare, and ballistic missile defense,” the U.S. Navy explained.
For its 2006 deployment, DDG-57 was awarded the U.S. Navy’s Battle Effectiveness “Battle E” award.
In August 2023, the service announced plans to extend the ship’s service life beyond the initial 35 years, with USS Mitscher now expected to remain with the fleet until at least 2034.
DDG-57 is the second United States Navy warship to be named in honor of Adm. Marc A. Mitscher, a pioneer in naval aviation. Mitscher served as commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force in the Pacific in World War II.
The first warship to bear his name was the lead vessel of experimental destroyers built just after the end of the Second World War. A total of four were built, with USS Mitscher (DL-2/DDG-35) remaining in service from 1953 until 1978. She was sold for scrap in 1980.