NORFOLK (NNS) -- The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Albany (SSN 753) returned to Naval Station Norfolk Nov. 18 following a seven-month deployment in support of the maritime strategy.
Commanded by Cmdr. Thad Nisbett, Albany initially left Norfolk April 25, on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of the USS Nassau (LHA 4) Expeditionary Strike Group.
Among the family members celebrating the homecoming were Dan and Peggy Demorett who came to see their son, Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Alan Demorett, of Naples, Fla., return.
"We're going to celebrate his 21st birthday, which happened while he was underway," said Peggy.
"He called us from Norway on his birthday," said Mr. Demorett.
The family members of the crew picked up hobbies to keep themselves occupied while their loved ones were at sea.
"I started swimming, working out, and I started learning to play the violin," said Eugenie Gorham, of Lake Charles, La., who is engaged to Chief Electronics Technician Jordan Kahle. "The hardest part is not having my best friend to talk to."
Despite their busy operating schedule, the Albany crew was able to visit Souda Bay, Crete; Augusta Bay, Italy; Marseillles, France; Haakonsvern, Norway; Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
"Being able to see foreign ports and seeing foreign cultures [is] just an eye opener," said Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Thadeus Dalusong, of Los Angeles.
Dalusong enjoyed Sicily because of the architecture.
"It reminds me of old Europe," he said.
Fast-attack submarines like Albany have multifaceted missions. They use their stealth, persistence, agility and firepower to deploy and support special force operations, disrupt and destroy an adversary's military and economic operations at sea, provide early strike from close proximity and ensure undersea superiority.
Albany is 360 feet long, displaces 6,900 tons of water, and can travel in excess of 25 knots when submerged.
