Two Mayport-based destroyers worked with other U.S. Navy warships to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles headed toward Israel in the aftermath of intensified conflict between the Middle East states, the Navy reported.
The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, praised the crew of the USS Thomas Hudner while leading a delegation of military leaders visiting the ships June 29 during a port call in Souda Bay, Greece.
“I am incredibly proud of these sailors and grateful for their service,” Caine said, according to a Navy release. “They have made tremendous contributions to America’s, and the region’s, security.”
The Hudner had operated the defense effort with the USS The Sullivans, also Mayport-based, as well as the destroyers USS Arleigh Burke, USS Oscar Austin and USS Paul Ignatius in a joint effort that began June 14. Besides the Mayport ships, the others are homeported in Rota, Spain.
“Thomas Hudner represents the best and the highest standard of our Navy,” Adm. Stuart Munsch, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, said during the visit, according to the release. “…The naval forces operating in the European theater and beyond have shown that our Navy is prepared, postured, and ready for the challenges we face.”
The destroyers are all equipped with Aegis weapons designed for missile defense and the group “intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles,” the release said.
While far removed from the Middle East, Mayport vessels have a history of roles in conflicts involving Iran. In May 2024, the U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro visited the base to praise the crew of the destroyer USS Carney for going “above and beyond the call of duty” during a deployment where they conducted 51 engagements, including operating alongside the Arleigh Burke to engage Iranian ballistic missiles fired at Israel. In 1987, Exocet missiles fired by Iraqi forces during the Iran-Iraq war devastated the Mayport-based guided-missile frigate USS Stark, killing 37 crewmembers.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 2 Mayport destroyers among ships Joint Chiefs chair hails for stopping Iranian missiles
Reporting by Steve Patterson, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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