Gridley Returns to Everett After Seven-Month Deployment

The destroyer came home to Naval Station Everett after a deployment across South America and the Caribbean with USS Nimitz.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Military

Gridley Returns to Everett After Seven-Month Deployment

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USS Gridley returned to Naval Station Everett on Oct. 9, 2026, after a seven-month deployment to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations. The destroyer had departed Everett with USS Nimitz on March 9, 2026.

Why it matters

The deployment supported Operation Southern Seas 2026 and Operation Southern Spear counternarcotics activities in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. It also showcased engagement with a broad set of allied navies across the region.

Gridley covered approximately 90,000 nautical miles and completed one maritime counter-narcotics interdiction during the seven-month deployment. Its embarked HSM-73 detachment logged nearly 490 flight operational hours while the ship engaged 18 allied navies and partner nations.

The players

USS Gridley

A U.S. Navy destroyer homeported at Naval Station Everett that conducted the deployment described in this story.

USS Nimitz

A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier whose final sail around South America Gridley escorted during the deployment.

The details

Gridley escorted USS Nimitz during portions of the carrier's final sail around South America, transiting the Strait of Magellan and making its first transit of the Panama Canal. Port visits included Panama, Chile, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Ecuador, and the ship conducted joint helicopter operations with three allied navies.

March 9, 2026: Gridley departed Naval Station Everett with USS Nimitz.
Oct. 9, 2026: Gridley returned to Naval Station Everett.

Season Trajectory

Gridley's deployment placed it within Operation Southern Spear, the counternarcotics mission directed by Joint Task Force-Western Hemisphere. The ship's single maritime interdiction and its work with 18 partner navies reflect the Navy's continuing emphasis on the Western Hemisphere.

For residents of Everett, the return of Gridley means the destroyer and its crew are home at Naval Station Everett after seven months away. The homecoming is the practical outcome of a deployment that involved port visits, joint operations and counternarcotics work across the region.

The takeaway

Gridley's seven-month deployment shows how a single destroyer can support regional counternarcotics efforts while building partnerships with many navies. Its return to Everett closes a long mission in the Western Hemisphere.