The US Navy littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Freedom has returned to San Diego, completing its final operational deployment.
The ship was deployed to support Joint Interagency Task Force South's mission, which includes counter illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
While providing counter-narcotics support, Freedom disrupted more than 2,000 kilograms of cocaine and 1,700 kilograms of marijuana worth an estimated street value of more than US$111 million. Most recently, the US Coast Guard-Navy team aboard Freedom conducted a seizure of more than 1,500 kilograms of cocaine off the coast of Mexico on April 7.
Freedom is the US Navy's first LCS as well as the lead ship of its class. It was commissioned into service on November 8, 2008.
The navy said the ship will be decommissioned on September 30 of this year.
