Groton - For her fifth birthday, which happens to fall on Thanksgiving this year, Kandyce Jackson is going to Disney World to have dinner with the Disney princesses, her mother, her little brother, her grandparents and one very special person: her dad.

Machinist Mate Robert Jackson was one of 130 submariners aboard the USS Memphis, which returned to Groton Saturday after a six-month deployment.

"It's a vacation,'' said Jackson, the second submariner off the boat in what is traditionally the "first hug" spot. His family, which was chosen randomly for the honor, was the second group allowed on the pier Saturday afternoon after the Memphis docked.

He embraced his wife, Megan Jackson, and hugged tight to Kandyce and 16-month-old R.J.

"He was barely crawling when I left,'' Jackson said.

The Jacksons' family drama was played out over and over again as sailors disembarked into a balmy November afternoon at the Naval Submarine Base. During its six-month deployment, the Los Angeles-class Memphis made port calls in Portsmouth, the United Kingdom, Bahrain and Toulon, France.

Hundreds of wives, children, parents, grandparents and friends eagerly awaited the return of the Memphis, holding up banners, flags and balloons. A cheer erupted when the sub was spotted coming up the river 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

Well-wishers cheered and pressed up against the fence that kept them off the pier until the ship was secure.

"The last 20 minutes seems like 20 hours,'' said Dacia Disher of Gales Ferry as she waited for her husband, Radio Chief James Disher Jr., with their daughter 18-month-old Sadie. The submarine was in place, but lines had to be secured and a bridge put in place.

Mrs. Disher said her husband has three children from a previous marriage who live in Pennsylvania who were unable to come to the homecoming. But she arranged for her husband to pick them up next week and bring them back to Connecticut for the holiday.

"We'll all be together for Thanksgiving,'' she said. "They are going to be so surprised when he picks them up."

For 22-year-old Sara Gates, the wait for her newlywed husband was almost unbearable.

"He's been gone 204 days, but who's counting,'' said Gates, originally from Nashville and a member of the Air Force Reserve, as she waited for Machinist Mate Sean Gates to arrive.

The couple was married New Year's Eve.

"We've been apart almost seven months,'' she said. "I'm so excited. He's so nervous."

She also was chosen at random for the ceremonial "first kiss," which gives her the privilege of being the first person to greet the submarine.

"I've been imagining this moment. I fear I'm going to fall and bust my face," she said.

She didn't. The couple planned to order a pizza tonight, and sit home and catch up.

Petty Officer Michael Strapazzon was overcome when his nearly 2-year-old daughter handed him an American flag.

"Daddy,'' said Lilly Strapazzon, who was wearing a pink shirt that proclaimed she was "Wild About Dad.''

He gave her a red rose he was carrying to give to his wife, Colleen. The young family planned a party today to celebrate Lilly's second birthday.