{"id":18434,"date":"2018-12-22T01:02:40","date_gmt":"2018-12-22T01:02:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/12\/22\/a-tale-of-two-tours-both-now-in-the-books\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:15:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:15:32","slug":"a-tale-of-two-tours-both-now-in-the-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/12\/22\/a-tale-of-two-tours-both-now-in-the-books\/","title":{"rendered":"A tale of two tours \u2014 both now in the books"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two guided-missile destroyers returned to separate East Coast homeports on Friday after nearly seven months away from family and friends \u2014 and just in time to get their shopping done for Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After spending 209 days deployed, The Sullivans<\/a> arrived at Florida\u2019s Naval Station Mayport. Sister destroyer Jason Dunham <\/a>was gone 202 days before pulling into Naval Station Norfolk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Arleigh Burke-class destroyers were late deployers from the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the flattop\u2019s tour was very different. The flattop left Norfolk on April 11, nearly two months earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Truman made a surprise return to to Virginia on July 21<\/a> for what officials cautioned families was an \u201cworking port visit,\u201d not a homecoming, before pulling out again on Aug. 28 for a rendezvous in the Atlantic Ocean with sister carrier Abraham Lincoln.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The the Truman kept going east to join NATO\u2019s massive Trident Juncture exercises in the Norwegian Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Truman returned to Norfolk on Sunday, capping what Navy leaders said was a successful implementation of the Dynamic Force Employment <\/a>plan created by departing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to shake up the Navy\u2019s carrier strike group deployment schedules.<\/p>\n\n\n\t