NORFOLK, Va. — Hundreds of families and loved ones gathered at Naval Station Norfolk as USS Nitze returned to its homeport on Wednesday.
"That's my daddy!" yelled two-year-old Macey Cochran as she pointed to the ship. Macey and her three sisters, along with their mother, anxiously awaited the return of their father, IC1 Christopher Cochran, who was about to meet his newborn daughter Madeline for the first time.
"She's eight months old now," explained Cochran's wife, Kaitlyn Cochran. "[She was born] two weeks after he deployed, so she hasn't met her daddy yet."
USS Nitze returns to its homeport of @NAV_STA_NORFOLK after an 8 month deployment! ❤️Hear from families tonight on @WTKR3! pic.twitter.com/UBOEW7KlOt
— Penny Kmitt (@pennylikeacoin) April 5, 2023
Cochran and the rest of the crew have been underway for the past eight months, traveling nearly 60,000 nautical miles. With roughly 350 sailors on board, the destroyer visited nine foreign ports in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The ship also hosted key leaders during its deployment, including the U.S. Ambassadors to Turkey and Malta.
As part of Operation Unified Takedown, the crew helped seize about $43 million worth of narcotics.
"We found a big pot and we were able to take care of those drugs, get them off the streets," said USS Nitze's Commanding Officer, Katie Jacobson. "I'm super proud of this crew, there's no other ship and no other crew I'd rather sail with and I'm happy to be home."
The crew will now go on leave for two weeks, giving them time to spend with their friends and family. For Christopher Cochran, it will be time spent getting to know his new baby girl.
"I missed my baby so much," he said after being reunited with his family. "The first time meeting her is a shock and I got my other girls. I just missed all of them so much and I'm so happy to be home."
