World · Europe · 4 hrs ago
USS Paul Ignatius returns to Rota after Atlantic missile exercise
The US destroyer USS Paul Ignatius returned to its base at Rota, Spain, after several months of patrols and exercises in European waters.
During the Atlantic Thunder 2026 exercise in the North Atlantic, it fired an anti-ship missile at a retired US frigate.
The former USS Klakring was sunk in the drill, with a US submarine delivering the final strike using a torpedo.
US and UK forces took part, including the Royal Navy, alongside US air units.
The destroyer later operated with Swedish and Finnish forces in the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia, and stopped in Poland before returning to Rota.
The operations tested allied coordination and maritime capabilities in waters described by the US Navy as important to regional security and freedom of navigation.
The ship is based at Rota, where the US Navy now has six destroyers permanently deployed.
The USS Paul Ignatius returned to its home base at Rota, Spain, after several months of operations and exercises in European waters.
During Atlantic Thunder 2026 in the North Atlantic, the destroyer fired an anti-ship missile at the decommissioned frigate ex-USS Klakring as part of a sinking exercise.
A US submarine delivered the torpedo strike that sank the frigate, while British forces also tested anti-ship missiles.
The destroyer later operated with Swedish and Finnish forces in the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia and made a stop in Gdynia, Poland.
The USS Paul Ignatius is one of six US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyers based at Rota.
- Who
- The USS Paul Ignatius, a US Navy guided-missile destroyer, returned to Rota.
- What
- It came back after several months of operations and exercises, including a live-fire sinking exercise.
- When
- This week; the return was reported on October 22, 2026.
- Where
- The destroyer returned to Naval Station Rota, Spain, after operating in the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia.
- Why
- Its deployment involved allied exercises and maritime security operations. The sources do not state a specific reason for the return.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The destroyer took part in Atlantic Thunder 2026 in the North Atlantic, where it fired an anti-ship missile at the ex-USS Klakring.
The USS Paul Ignatius operated in the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia with Swedish and Finnish forces and visited Stockholm and Helsinki.
The destroyer stopped in Gdynia, Poland, for logistics and crew rest.
The USS Paul Ignatius returned to its base at Naval Station Rota.
- Ship
- USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117)
- Exercise
- Atlantic Thunder 2026
- Target
- Ex-USS Klakring, decommissioned in 2013
- Location of exercise
- North Atlantic, off the coast of Scotland
- Home base
- Naval Station Rota, Spain
- Rota-based US destroyers
- Six Arleigh Burke-class units
3 sources
Después de hundir una fragata, el destructor ‘USS Paul Ignatios’ vuelve a la Base de Rota: «Demostró potenc...
El destructor de EEUU 'USS Paul Ignatius' regresa a la Base de Rota tras hundir una fragata con sus misiles en un ejercicio
Llega a la Base de Rota el destructor de EE UU que ha ensayado con fuego real el hundimiento de una vieja fragata
What people are saying
to refine joint capability in tactics, target selection and live fire against a surface target at sea
During the exercise, it successfully demonstrated the range capability and destructive potential of an anti-ship variant of the Standard Missile 6
the time we spent operating alongside the Swedish and Finnish navies demonstrated what allies can achieve when they work together in the Baltic Sea; visits like this foster the trust that makes such collaboration possible