The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Russell returned to Pearl Harbor yesterday from a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific with a lei on its bow.

"It feels great to be home," Boatswain's Mate Seaman Ryan Cook said. "I've been waiting five months to finally meet my daughter (for the first time) and it's an amazing feeling."

Cmdr. Jeff Weston, the Russell's commanding officer, was pleased with the crew's performance.

"We spent very little time in port and they all did amazing work out there," Weston said. "Every mission we were tasked with we performed flawlessly and it's a credit to them."

The Russell left Pearl Harbor March 24 as part of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group.

During the deployment, Russell interacted with coalition forces, offered humanitarian assistance to a stranded boat with 70 Somalis onboard, participated in joint exercises, and pulled into six ports, where its crew contributed to the host nation in community relations projects.