GROTON - The attack submarine USS Annapolis is returning to Connecticut from a deployment that took it to ports in countries including Portugal and Bahrain.

The Navy says the submarine with a crew of 14 officers and 138 enlisted sailors has traveled more than 34,000 nautical miles since leaving Submarine Base New London in March.

A homecoming ceremony is scheduled for Thursday.

A flag retirement ceremony is also planned at the nearby submarine force museum to commemorate the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The submarine is the fourth Navy ship to be named for Annapolis, Maryland, the home of the U.S. Naval Academy. It was commissioned in 1992.