Kirubel Weldeyes reunites with his family at Naval Station Everett Jan. 14, 2021. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ethan J. Soto)

Kirubel Weldeyes reunites with his family at Naval Station Everett Jan. 14, 2021. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ethan J. Soto)

USS Ralph Johnson returns to Everett after maiden deployment

The ship helped seize more than 2,000 pounds of narcotics in its nine-month journey.

EVERETT — The USS Ralph Johnson returned to Naval Station Everett Thursday morning, following its first-ever deployment.

The Ralph Johnson joined the Navy base in April 2018. It was on deployment for about nine months in the Fifth and Seventh fleet areas of operations, in the Indian and Pacific oceans.

The ship left in April 2020, after a “restriction-of-movement period,” a news release said. That was a measure to avoid exposing the crew to COVID-19. At the beginning of the pandemic, the Naval Station Everett ship USS Kidd experienced an outbreak at sea.

During deployment, the Ralph Johnson helped apprehend more than 2,000 pounds of narcotics from a vessel in the Arabian Sea, among other accomplishments.

“The crew’s performance was amazing from start to finish,” commanding officer Cmdr. Rob Biggs said in a statement. “They excelled in every operation.”

In its maiden deployment the ship sailed 78,186 miles.

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