VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Following its participation in NATO's largest exercise in decades, the USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) is set to arrive at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach on Thursday.
The Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship is returning nearly three months after it departed Naval Station Norfolk on Jan. 24 for the Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024.
Gunston Hall "sailed straight to Portsmouth, United Kingdom to embark part of the landing force, a platoon of French marines and six combat rigid raiding craft. Once embarked, Gunston Hall and her troops accomplished several amphibious training exercises in the English Channel to build proficiency and familiarity before the more complicated next phase," according to a release from the U.S. 2nd Fleet.
The ship then sailed into the Artic Circle's "harsh climate" to assist Italian Landing Assault Helicopter Ship Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian amphibious transport dock San Giorgio, and French Navy Aquitaine-class frigate Normandie.
To complete the landing force, Gunston Hall embarked Swedish and Finnish marines and two CB-90 fast assault crafts while in Harstad, Norway.
"For the following two weeks, she operated in the High North carrying out five amphibious exercises and 19 well deck operations," the U.S. 2nd Fleet said.
The large-scale exercise, which marked the 75th anniversary of the NATO Alliance, included nearly 90,000 forces from 31 Allies and Sweden. The Gunston Hall was among 50 NATO naval assets, 80 air platforms and 1,100 combat vehicles that participated.
Through the exercise, NATO proved it is capable of performing complex multi-domain operations spanning multiple months and from High North to Central and Eastern Europe.
“Our participation in Steadfast Defender demonstrated our Navy’s ability to work alongside and defend our allies,” said Cmdr. Christopher W. Van Loenen, commanding officer, USS Gunston Hall. “The Gunston Hall crew pushed the ship to her full capabilities in order to achieve the exercise objectives, and we did just that. I couldn’t be more proud of what we accomplished together.”
