NAS Lemoore squadrons return Wednesday after nearly six-months at sea

Thursday, June 22, 2017 - 6:15pm By The Leader Staff

Friends, family, and other loved ones were on hand on a sizzling Wednesday to greet their spouses and friends after Naval Air Station Lemoore Hornet squadrons completed a grueling five-and-a-half-month deployment aboard the Navy’s USS Carl Vinson.

The squadrons flew over the NAS Lemoore flight line in formation prior to landing.

Naval Air Station Lemoore’s squadrons VFA-192 (Golden Dragons) and VFA-2 (Bounty Hunters) touched down Wednesday morning while VFA-137 (Kestrels) flew in Thursday.

The remaining sailors are expected to arrive on Friday about 1 p.m. at the base’s Operations Area.

During the Lemoore squadrons’ deployment on the USS Carl Vinson, Navy crew participated in operations with the South Korea and Japan. They completed “visit, board, search and seizure drills,” and air, surface and anti-submarine warfare training.

Lemoore personnel also visited several ports, making stops in Guam, Busan, Singapore and Hawaii.

There are about 6,500 sailors deployed with the Vinson Strike Group and roughly 690 of the sailors were from NAS Lemoore. Each squadron consist of about 180-200 sailors.

NAS Lemoore squadrons return Wednesday after nearly six-months at sea

Photos by Bill Burris, www.photographyforkings.com

Click on photo to enlarge

More Images