Far From A Pleasure Cruise

USS San Antonio was among the U.S. Southern Command buildup that was involved in the January 2026 capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

“The performance of our Navy-Marine Corps team during Operation Southern Spear was nothing short of exceptional,” said Capt. Tom Uhl, USS San Antonio’s commanding officer, in the U.S. Navy statement.

“Our deployment to the 4th Fleet area of responsibility required immense focus, and I stand continually impressed by this crew’s dedication to the mission,” Uhl continued. “From the moment we left the pier, they leveraged their rigorous pre-deployment training to flawlessly execute enhanced counter-narcotics operations and seamlessly adapt to every contingency they faced in the region.”

Beyond supporting the Maduro raid, the amphibious transport dock ship also participated in humanitarian and disaster relief efforts in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa last fall.

“The destruction wrought by Hurricane Melissa was devastating to see,” said Uhl. “Having just pulled into St. Croix for a resupply opportunity, we quickly got back underway in less than 24 hours and made best speed toward Jamaica.”

During her eight and a half month long deployment, the USS San Antonio traveled nearly 49,000 nautical miles and conducted roughly 453 hours of flight operations. That included some more pleasant moments for the crew, including port visits to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Ponce, Puerto Rico.

“Sailors and Marines participated in several outreach projects across the community while in port,” the Navy added. It further noted, “Community service projects are a cornerstone of every deployment and allow Sailors and Marines to connect with and give back to the community.”

With USS San Antonio now back at Naval Station Norfolk, the warship will undergo a previously planned maintenance and preservation work, which will prepare LPD-17 for follow-on tasking. It will also allow the warship’s sailors and Marines to reunite with their families after more than 250 days.

An Essential Warship

Although amphibious transport docks don’t get the same attention as the United States Navy’s nuclear-powered supercarriers or even the amphibious assault ships, the LPDs are essential to modern naval operations as they can deploy Marines, vehicles and aircraft.

The vessels enable rapid, adaptable crisis response, humanitarian assistance, and expeditionary warfare by transporting troops via well decks and helipads.

The lead vessel of the class, USS San Antonio, is the first ship of the U.S. Navy to be named for the city in Texas, and she was also the first U.S. Navy vessel to feature improved crew creature comforts, including increased headroom in the bunks and pull-out laptop computer shelves. Built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in New Orleans, LPD-17 was commissioned in January 2006.

Just over a decade later, in October 2016, the USS San Antonio was targeted by missiles fired by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, while transiting the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, the narrow waterway that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The warship was not struck, and later passed through the Red Sea and transited the Suez Canal.

Space Ship Recovery

Another San Antonio-class LPD, the USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26), operating from her home port of San Diego, served as the primary recovery vessel for NASA’s Artemis II mission, retrieving the crew and Orion capsule earlier this month.

As previously reported, the amphibious transport docks are ideally suited for the capsule recovery mission, as they are equipped with well decks, helicopter pads, onboard medical facilities, and the necessary communication capabilities.

The USS Portland (LPD-27) was previously employed to retrieve the uncrewed Orion capsule during the Artemis I mission in December 2022.