USS Michael Murphy Returns to Pearl Harbor After 346‑Day Deployment Spanning Multiple Combat Zones

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — The guided‑missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy returned to port Thursday after a 346‑day deployment that featured operations across the South China Sea, 12 transits of the Strait of Hormuz, 43 at‑sea replenishments, and a command change mid‑tour. The vessel was greeted by hula dancers and a rainbow spanning the harbor.

The destroyer was attached to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group for most of the tour, while the carrier itself had returned to San Diego on Oct. 8. Though it may have briefly held deployment‑length records, those were soon eclipsed by other vessels. The Arleigh Burke‑class Spruance completed a 12‑month deployment today, and the crew of the Japan‑based John Finn has been advised to anticipate a 13‑ to 14‑month tour.

According to a Defense One report on Oct. 22, Navy officials have advised families to expect deployments of roughly ten months—a significant increase from the typical seven‑month tours of recent years. The service’s senior enlisted leader, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman, echoed that guidance a week later, stating that ten‑ to eleven‑month deployments will likely become the standard for at least the next few years.

The ship departed Hawaii on Dec. 1, 2025, transiting the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca before operating primarily in the North Arabian Sea, according to Cmdr. David Nicolas, who assumed command a month prior.

During Operation Epic Fury, the Michael Murphy fired Tomahawk missiles and assisted in the Strait of Hormuz blockade, Cmdr. Nicolas noted.

“I’m incredibly proud to be part of this team,” he said. “This is the most resilient crew that I’ve had the pleasure to serve with.”

Nicolas, who previously commanded the guided‑missile destroyer Oscar Austin, was scheduled to become an instructor at the Surface Warfare Schools in Rhode Island after handing over command to his successor on Sept. 10, per a Navy press release. However, those plans were altered when Cmdr. Caitlin Cunningham, the Michael Murphy’s former commander, was relieved of duty on Sept. 27 for a “loss of confidence” after about 11 months in charge, a Navy official told Defense One.

At Thursday’s homecoming ceremony, Petty Officer 3rd Class Jesse Bryson emerged first from the ship after winning the “first‑kiss” raffle. Accompanied by his wife, Arianna Rios, Bryson joked that the deployment was “a lot of water.” “Join the Navy, see the world—but the world is 70‑percent water,” he quipped. He went on to praise the crew: “I think you could put anyone from this ship on any other ship and they’d stand out.”

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