Photo: USS San Francisco sails under Golden Gate Bridge on final deployment

U.S. Navy’s Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS San Francisco (SSN 711) and her crew returned to Naval Base Point Loma after completing a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) region.

The homecoming marks the end of the submarine’s final deployment of her 35 years of active duty before she steams to the East Coast.

The crew were able to visit their namesake city, marking the ship’s last stop of a six-month deployment before returning to its homeport of San Diego.

USS San Francisco provided tours for the citizens of San Francisco and attended a tour of the San Francisco Giants’ stadium. As the submarine departed, it steamed through San Francisco Bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge for the last time.

“In my 20 years in the Navy, this is the best deployment I’ve had,” said Cmdr. Jeff Juergens, San Francisco’s commanding officer. “It’s a testament to the best crew I’ve had the opportunity to work with. They have done an outstanding job.”

While deployed, San Francisco engaged in a wide range of operations supporting both 3rd and 7th Fleets. She steamed over 50,000 nautical miles and had port calls in Singapore, Japan and Guam.

“By the end of this year we will change homeport to Norfolk, Virginia,” said Cmdr. Juergens. “We will start the conversion process to become a moored training ship (MTS) by the year 2020.”

As an MTS, she will help challenge and train a new generation of submariners at the Nuclear Power Training Unit in Charleston, South Carolina.