It had been almost 200 days since Commander Guy Blackburn had hugged his wife and three children.
But on Saturday he was the first naval crew member to be reunited with his family, after guiding HMAS Parramatta home from Middle Eastern waters and into Sydney.
James, the 11-year-old son of the ship's commanding officer, leapt into his father's arms as he stepped on Australian soil for the first time in six months.
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"It's just brilliant," James told AAP when asked what it felt like to have his dad back.
And his dad echoed his sentiment, likening the reunion to a celebration of every Christmas all at once.
Hundreds of family members and friends of the 191 navy personnel sent to the Middle East on the Parramatta lined the Woolloomooloo wharf to see their loved ones disembark safe and well.
Christine Cal, the mother of Leading Seaman Jai Cal, known by his crewmates as Fifty-Cal, had travelled from Brisbane with a broken leg and crutches to see her son arrive home.
It was the marine technician's first stint in the Middle East and his first Christmas apart from his mum.
"I'm just proud of him; everything he's done," Ms Cal said as the ship came into view.
HMAS Parramatta sailed into the harbour escorted by helicopter about 10am (AEDT).
And it had cause to demand the spotlight after having intercepted a drug operation, rescuing 16 Iranian fisherman who had been left for dead by pirates in the Gulf of Aden and travelling the distance of the earth eight times over.
Sailor Brett Young, who was reunited with his girlfriend, said the minutes spent pulling up to the harbour and disembarking felt like years.
"That last 10 minutes just goes forever - you see them but you can't touch them yet," he said.
HMAS Parramatta was relieved of her duties by HMAS Melbourne in Middle Eastern waters six weeks ago.
