JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Naval Station Mayport saw its first deployment of 2026 Saturday morning.
The USS Delbert D. Black set sail from the First Coast to carry out numerous overseas operations.
“We are constantly training and have done nothing but train for this deployment specifically in every warfare area that you could think of,” Commander Ezra Hatch, commanding officer of the USS Delbert D. Black, said.
Hatch had high praise for his sailors.
“This is by far the best-prepared ship that I’ve ever been on, and it is because of the resilience and the dedication of the crew,” Hatch said.
The ship carries 300 sailors and is named after Delbert Black, the very first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, the highest-ranking enlisted position in the U.S. Navy.
Turbines Officer Chandler Stiles, a 24-year-old native of Jacksonville’s Westside and Naval Academy graduate, shared his personal connection to the Navy.
“I chose Mayport to come back to my hometown and serve aboard the Delbert D. Black,” he said. “My dad was in the Navy. He spent 24 years in, so it’s always kind of been important in my life.”
His father, Glenn Stiles, was in person to watch his son depart, saying it was a full-circle moment.
USS Delbert D. Black is the first 2026 deployment from Naval Station Mayport. (Copyright 2026 – News4JAX – All Rights Reserved)
“When I deployed last, he was five,” Glenn said. “And now today, his first deployment, so it’s really good.”
Logistics Specialist Ayleen Alvarado, embarking on her first deployment, expressed her hopes for the mission.
“I’m looking forward to, honestly, bringing up morale on the ship mostly. I know that we do a lot of things,” she said.
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.