NORFOLK, Va. — An early holiday celebration unfolded recently as the USS Cole returned to its home base in Norfolk, Virginia, after spending seven months deployed overseas.

The arrival of the ship was met with enthusiastic cheers from a crowd bundled up against the chilly weather at Naval Station Norfolk on Monday. Families, some with tears of joy in their eyes, welcomed home their loved ones with heartfelt hugs, especially as sailors embraced their smiling children. Many in the crowd held flowers and signs emblazoned with the names and pictures of their family members.

Among the messages, one sign prominently declared, “Welcome home,” while another expressed pride with the words, “We are so proud of you.”

The USS Cole, part of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, completed a deployment that lasted 224 days. Throughout this period, the ship operated in various bodies of water, including the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Gulf. Its mission focused on protecting and supporting U.S. allies and partners across Europe and Africa, as detailed in an official statement from the U.S. Fleet Forces Command.

Commander Matthew Faulkenberry, leader of the USS Cole, remarked on the significance of their return just before the festive season.

“It’s not often that we get to come back home so close to Christmas,” he shared with the local news outlet WVEC-TV. “No one sees it coming — our ship’s arrival right in time for the holidays.”

The USS Cole has a significant history; it was infamously targeted by al-Qaida suicide bombers in 2000 during a refueling stop in the Yemeni port of Aden, an attack that tragically claimed the lives of 17 sailors on board.