After months of extra duty at sea providing protection for Israel, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group will be heading home, the Navy announced on Monday. The Ford and its accompanying warships will be replaced by the amphibious assault ship the USS Bataan and its accompanying warships, the USS Mesa Verde and the USS Carter Hall. The three vessels had been in the Red Sea and have been transiting toward the Eastern Mediterranean over the last few days.
Quick Read
- USS Gerald R. Ford Heading Home: After extended deployment in the Eastern Mediterranean to provide protection for Israel, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group is set to return home. The Ford has been on duty since the day after the Hamas attacks on October 7.
- Replacement by USS Bataan and Warships: The USS Bataan, along with the USS Mesa Verde and USS Carter Hall, will replace the Ford. These ships, previously stationed in the Red Sea, are currently transitioning to the Eastern Mediterranean.
- USS Ford’s Role and Accomplishments: The USS Ford has played a crucial role in the region, particularly in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Its accompanying warships have successfully intercepted missiles and drones fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.
- Visit by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin: The importance of the USS Ford’s mission was highlighted by a visit from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last month.
- Two-Carrier Presence in Region: The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has been operating alongside the Ford, with a focus on areas near the Gulf of Aden. This dual-carrier presence emphasizes U.S. commitment to the region’s stability amidst the ongoing conflict.
- Response to Attacks on Commercial Ships: U.S. naval forces, including helicopters from the Eisenhower, have actively responded to attacks on commercial vessels, notably intervening during an assault on the Maersk Hangzhou by Houthi small boats.
- Capabilities of USS Bataan and Accompanying Warships: The USS Bataan and its accompanying ships, the Mesa Verde and Carter Hall, are equipped to carry Marines and support various military operations, including amphibious landings. The Bataan is also capable of carrying and supporting F-35 vertical takeoff fighter aircraft.
The Associated Press has the story:
USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is returning home after extended deployment defending Israel
Newsslooks- WASHINGTON (AP)
After months of extra duty at sea providing protection for Israel, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group will be heading home, the Navy announced on Monday.
The Ford and its accompanying warships will be replaced by the amphibious assault ship the USS Bataan and its accompanying warships, the USS Mesa Verde and the USS Carter Hall. The three vessels had been in the Red Sea and have been transiting toward the Eastern Mediterranean over the last few days.
The Ford will sail for home “in the coming days,” the U.S. 6th Fleet, the European-based U.S. naval command that’s responsible for ships sailing in the Mediterranean, said in a statement.
The Ford was sent to the Eastern Mediterranean to be within striking distance of Israel since the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. The carrier stayed in the Eastern Mediterranean while its accompanying warships had sailed into the Red Sea, where they repeatedly intercepted incoming ballistic missiles and attack drones fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the Ford last month.
Since it was extended in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Ford and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier have been part of a two-carrier presence bracketing the Israel-Hamas war, underscoring U.S. concerns that the conflict will widen. The Eisenhower has recently patrolled near the Gulf of Aden, at the mouth of the Red Sea waterway, where so many commercial vessels have come under attack in recent weeks.
On Sunday, helicopters from the Eisenhower and its destroyer the USS Gravely responded to a distress call from the container ship Maersk Hangzhou, which was under attack by four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats. As the helicopters responded, the boats fired at them with crew-served weapons and small arms and the helicopters returned fire, sinking three of the four boats and killing their crews, the U.S. Central Command said.
The incessant attacks on the commercial ships have led some companies to suspend transits through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Gulf of Aden to the southern Red Sea and then the Suez Canal.
The Bataan’s accompanying warship the Mesa Verde is a transport dock ship, carrying approximately 2,000 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Those Marines provide “forces capable of supporting a wide range of missions,” the U.S. 6th Fleet said. The Carter Hall is a dock landing ship, which carries amphibious landing craft and their crews. Both vessels and the Bataan can support rotary aircraft; the Bataan can also carry and support Marine Corps’ F-35 vertical takeoff fighter aircraft.
