USS Nitze Returns to Homeport
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS140715-06
Release Date: 7/15/2014 12:19:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Maddelin Angebrand, Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet Public Affairs
NORFOLK (NNS) -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94) returned to Naval Station Norfolk July 15 following a nearly eight-month deployment in the 6th Fleet Area of Operations.
Nitze entered the theater in December, 2013 via the Mediterranean Sea and Suez Canal. Her crew conducted maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts there, and remained off the Horn of Africa for the majority of her deployment.
The crew spent more than 200 days at sea and conducted three port visits in support of maritime partnerships with Seychelles, Italy and Mauritius. In port, more than 130 Sailors volunteered a total of 760 hours on six different community relations projects making repairs to community buildings, constructing playgrounds, and bonding with children from several orphanages.
'The Nitze Sailors are some of the most devoted and hardworking individuals I have ever had the opportunity to lead projects with,' said Lt. Marian King, Nitze chaplain. 'The international communities that welcomed our teams were blown away at how devoted and motivated the Sailors were. The locals joked with me while we were watching a group of Sailors build a playground from scratch: 'Chaps, your Sailors are machines. Do they ever get tired?''
Many Sailors excelled on an individual level and helped one another accomplish watchstanding and warfare qualifications, other career milestones. Among their many accomplishments, nine Sailors reenlisted, 29 advanced to the next paygrade and 45 Sailors earned a total of 135 college credits while underway. Additionally, 68 Sailors earned their Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist qualification.
'Deployment can be rough at first, but it gets better once you start to realize that you can accomplish a lot of positive things out here, like going to the gym and getting your fitness level up,' said Fire Controlman 2nd Class Jason Shaull. 'Another good thing about deployment is that I was able to complete some online classes and get closer to accomplishing my degree.'
Cmdr. Michelle Nakamura, Nitze commanding officer, shared her insight on why the Nitze was so successful during this deployment.
'I would say the number one factor is the Nitze Sailor. Our schedule was very compressed and very challenging. When we were faced with obstacles and had to get through things, everybody really pulled together; we powered through everything,' she explained.
'That was absolutely our number one factor for success.'
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