Dozens of U.S. Navy ships and more than 100 aircraft are returning to Hampton Roads after leaving earlier this week as Hurricane Florence approached the East Coast.
The Virginian-Pilot reports that the ships and aircraft will return to the area beginning Saturday.
The Navy said the USS Kearsarge and USS Arlington will remain at sea to provide disaster assistance, if requested.
Navy spokeswoman Alana Garas said the ships disembarked Monday from naval bases, including the world's largest in Norfolk. The ships were reportedly headed to portions of the Atlantic where they could avoid the storm.
"Our ships can better weather storms of this magnitude when they are underway," U.S. Fleet Forces Cmdr. Adm. Christopher Grady said earlier this week in a statement.
Some ships stayed behind because they're undergoing maintenance.
