The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) returned to Naval Station Norfolk on May 15, concluding a nearly three-month deployment to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility.
The crew departed Feb. 25, 2025 with their mission focused on strengthening maritime partnerships, enhancing regional security, and conducting multinational naval operations in the Caribbean and surrounding waters.
[Photo above: Sailors look for friends and family on the pier as the he Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) returns to Naval Station Norfolk following a three-month deployment to U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations on May 15. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anderson W. Branch)]
“I could not be more proud of Normandy’s sailors and their relentless drive to execute the nation’s tasking,” said Capt. Nathan Diaz, commanding officer of USS Normandy. “While independently deployed, it was an honor for our crew to reinforce the maritime commons with partners like Colombia, France, Guyana, the Netherlands, Panama and the U.K.”
During the deployment, Normandy engaged in several notable exercises to include the Trilateral Maritime Exercise March 3 and the Bilateral Exercise with Guyana March 27. The Trilateral Maritime Exercise was executed alongside the Royal Navy’s HMS Medway and the Royal Netherlands Navy’s HNLMS Groningen. This operation included coordinated maneuvers and aviation drills, featuring a Royal Netherlands NH-90 helicopter, aimed at enhancing interoperability among allied naval forces.
The Bilateral Exercise with Guyana was conducted in partnership with the Guyana Defence Force patrol vessel GDFS Shahoud. Supported by Normandy’s embarked MH-60R Seahawk helicopter from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 50, the exercise focused on formation maneuvers and communication drills to bolster regional maritime cooperation.
Throughout its deployment, Normandy also participated in Theater Security Cooperation port visits and collaborative operations with regional partners, reinforcing the U.S. Navy’s commitment to unity, security, and stability in the Caribbean, Central, and South American maritime regions.
“The crew of Normandy has exceeded all expectations while operating with partner and ally nations and strengthening maritime partnerships in the Caribbean,” said Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, commander of Carrier Strike Group Twelve. “The successful completion of their third deployment in the last year and a half is a testament to the grit, determination, and selflessness of the Sailors and their families.”
Normandy is a multi-mission Air Warfare, Undersea Warfare, Naval Surface Fire Support and Surface Warfare surface combatant capable of supporting carrier battle groups, amphibious forces or operating independently and as flagships of surface action groups.
Normandy was commissioned in Dec. 1989 and was named after the World War II Battle of Normandy.
