NORFOLK, Va. — The USS Iwo Jima is set to return to Naval Station Norfolk on Saturday, concluding its 10-month deployment.
The Iwo Jima — a wasp-class amphibious assault ship — was deployed to the U.S. Fourth Fleet area of operations. This ship serves as the flagship of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (IWO ARG), which is comprised of the USS Fort Lauderdale and the USS San Antonio.
The U.S. Navy says the IWO ARG was among the first group of naval assets called to support Operation Southern Spear, a campaign the Defense Department says was aimed at countering narco-terrorism in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. During the operation, U.S. Southern Command posted videos of strikes on boats it alleged were involved in drug trafficking.
Watch previous coverage: What do Americans think about the administration's strikes on alleged drug boats?
After two weeks after docking, on June 20 to 21, the USS Iwo Jima will open for tours as part of Sail250, which is commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States' founding, according to a post made on Naval Station Norfolk's social media page. Along with the Iwo Jima, the USS San Antonio, USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan, FGS Sachsen (Germany) and BNS Leopold I (Belgium) are listed as ships available to tour.
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