Photos show the USS Eisenhower carrier strike group's 9-month deployment leading the ferocious Houthi fight

<p class="ingestion featured-caption">Sailors aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower man the rails on their return to Norfolk, Va. after a 9-month combat deployment.US Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Hunter Day</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower recently returned home after a deployment for the history books.</li><li>The aircraft carrier sailed on the front lines of the Red Sea fight against Houthi attacks.</li></ul><p>A US Navy carrier and its strike group returned home earlier this month after a grueling nine months <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-carrier-strike-group-video-reveals-red-sea-combat-2024-6">fighting Houthi rebels</a> in the Red Sea.</p><p>During the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower's twice-extended deployment, the carrier bore the brunt of the fight in the Red Sea as its air wing and destroyer squadron fended off relentless <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-carrier-strike-group-fired-nearly-800-munitions-houthi-fight-2024-7">Houthi attacks</a> and struck inside Yemen,<strong> </strong>in the process notching some <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-learning-battles-houthi-anti-ship-ballistic-missiles-commanders-2024-2">firsts</a> in warfare.</p><p>The <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-carrier-strike-group-eisenhower-houthis-red-sea-2024-6">USS Dwight D. Eisenhower</a>, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, left the Middle East on June 22 and returned to its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk on July 14. The Red Sea fight has attested to the combat power of carrier strike groups while still increasing strain on a fleet that <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-stuck-red-sea-battle-cant-fight-houthis-forever-2024-6">can't fight this way forever</a>.</p><p>USS Theodore Roosevelt, also a Nimitz-class carrier, is en route to replace the <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-us-navy-aircraft-carrier-tactics-shift-houthi-missiles-drones-2024-2">Ike Carrier Strike Group</a> in the fight against the Houthis.</p><p>Photos captured operations on and off the storied <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flight-operations-uss-eisenhower-red-sea-houthis-us-navy-2024-2">aircraft carrier</a> during its historic nine months at sea.</p>