The guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney returned to Naval Station San Diego on Monday after a nine-month deployment that stretched from the eastern Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and back.
The Pinckney, along with a detachment from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 75, deployed in January with the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, then left the group to participate in counter-narcotics operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
During the deployment, an embarked Coast Guard Law detachment recovered an estimated 22,000 pounds of cocaine and 2,800 pounds of marijuana worth over $720 million.
Toward the end of the deployment, the destroyer was accompanied by the Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane in the Caribbean.
“The sailors of Pinckney have helped make the United States a safer place to live,” said Cmdr. Andrew Roy, the ship’s commanding officer. “I thank all Pinckney Sailors and U.S. Coast Guardsmen who overcame many obstacles to make sure illicit narcotics will never make it into our homes, schools, or communities.”