A US Navy serviceman walks on the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in Hong Kong on May 22. Sailors of carrier strike group one arrived in Hong Kong for a four-day port visit with three other warships. AP
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii— The aircraft carrier that buried Osama bin Laden’s body at sea arrived in Hawaii on Tuesday, making its first stop on US soil since its deployment to the Middle East six months ago.
More than 100 family and friends greeted sailors at the pier as the ship stopped in Pearl Harbor for a port visit before making its way home to San Diego.
The USS Carl Vinson hosted numerous visitors from President Benigno Aquino III to the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.
It was in the North Arabian Sea last month when it received a Navy SEAL team carrying the body of the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Pentagon officials speaking about the burial have said that bin Laden’s body was placed in a weighted bag on the carrier and that an officer made religious remarks before the remains were put on a board and tipped into the sea.
The massive carrier and its 5,500 sailors, pilots and crew were returning home from their deployment to the Middle East and Asia that began November 30. It spent 171 of 191 days at sea and sailed more than 52,340 nautical miles.
The Vinson—named after the Georgia congressman who died in 1981—serves as the flagship for Carrier Strike Group 1 led by Rear Admiral Samuel Perez.
It conducted exercises with South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Britain, France and Australia in addition to responding to two piracy attempts on civilian vessels.