The USS Ronald Reagan and four ships in its strike group returned to San Diego Tuesday -- but one ship in the group won't be back in time for the holidays.
Problems with the controllable pitch propeller system forced the crew of the destroyer Howard to slow down in the transit home, the Military Times.com reported.
Loved ones were there to greet the other ships in the group as they returned to Coronado around 9 a.m. following a six-month deployment. A total of 5,500 sailors were assigned to the Reagan along with the guided-missile cruiser Chancellorsville, guided-missile frigate Thach and guided-missile destroyers Decatur, Gridley and Howard.
During their deployment, the sailors were provided humanitarian aid following a typhoon in the Philippines. Aircraft attached to the strike group also supported combat operations in Afghanistan.
The Reagan is the nation's ninth and newest Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft and is named after the 40th President of the United States.
