USS Eisenhower, CVN-69, Strike Group headed for the Gulf

The USS Eisenhower left Norfolk and is heading for the Med and then the Gulf.

NORFOLK, VA (NNS) -- Nearly 6,000 Sailors operating on ships and aircraft of Carrier Strike Group Eight departed June 20 for a scheduled deployment in support of maritime security operations and build on maritime partnerships.

They are deploying to the 5th and 6th fleet areas of responsibilities, as part of an ongoing rotation of U.S. forces supporting maritime security operations in international waters around the globe.

Source

The Eisenhower will be joining the USS Enterprise, CVN-65, and the USS Lincoln, CVN-72. The Lincoln has been on station since January and the Enterprise since March, so the likely ship headed back to Norfolk is the Lincoln, which will undergo refueling, a process that takes several years. The USS Truman, CVN-75, will be available this summer. It has been undergoing maintenance at Norfolk.

Now would be a good time for all good conspiracy theorists to claim:

1) Three carriers in the Gulf! Three carriers in the Gulf! Magic number!

and

2.) False flag! False flag! They're gonna sink the Enterprise!

Your window of opportunity is a month to six weeks before the Lincoln heads back.

For anyone who cares, here's an update of our Naval forces:

US Navy Carrier Strike Group Deployments:

CVN-65 Enterprise is in the 5th fleet AOR: 3/11/12
CVN-68 Nimitz is now underway in the Pacific for RIMPAC (6/19)
CVN-69 Eisenhower left Norfolk for the 5th Fleet AOR. (6/20)
CVN-70 Vinson is in home port San Diego, CA
CVN-71 Roosevelt is at Newport News for RCOH & non-deployable, Avail: late 2012.
CVN-72 Lincoln is in the Arabian Sea, 5th Fleet AOR, arrived 1/12.
CVN-73 Washington is underway in the 7th fleet AOR.
CVN-74 Stennis is now in homeport, Bremerton, arrived 3/2/12.
CVN-75 Truman is home at Norfolk for DPIA & non-deployable. Avail summer 2012.
CVN-76 Reagan is in Bremerton for DPIA & non-deployable until 2013.
CVN-77 Bush is in the Atlantic conducting carrier qualifications.
-------
CVN-78 Ford construction at Newport News. 2015, replaces Enterprise.
CVN-79 Kennedy construction at Newport News. Avail 2018, replaces Nimitz
CVN-80 Unnamed, planned, Avail 2024, replaces Eisenhower.

6 of 11 in port. 3 of 11 non-deployable

RCOH=Refueling and Complex Overhaul, takes about four years
DPIA=Docked Planned Incremental Availability, takes six months to a year

The above are all Carrier Strike Groups that normally travel with about 7-8 support ships including one cruiser, several destroyers (usually a squadron of 4), a fast attack supply ship, some frigates ,and a fast attack submarine or maybe two. The support ships are designed to protect the carrier. A CVN is about 100,000 tons displacement and can carry approximately 85 aircraft. CVNs are nuclear powered and run 25 years between refueling, which takes three years to complete.

Explanation of Areas of Responsibility (AOR)

3rd Fleet AOR – Eastern & Northern Pacific, Alaska, Bering Sea
4th Fleet AOR – Central & South America
5th Fleet AOR - The Middle East, Arabian Gulf, East Africa
6th Fleet AOR – The Mediterranean Sea, Europe
7th Fleet AOR – Asian Pacific. Indian Ocean to International Date Line

Below are the Amphibious Ready Groups/Marine Expeditionary Units. The main ship here is a "baby" carrier that is about half the size or less of a CVN, about 40,000 tons displacement. It is designed to hold helicopters and Harrier VTOL jets. These guys can pull off a minor invasion, if necessary. They usually carry a handful of tanks. Marines, by and large, are light infantry. LHA is a “Landing Helicopter Assault.” LHD is a “Landing Helicopter Dock.”

LHA-5 Pelelieu is underway in the Pacific Ocean.
LHD-1 Wasp is in home port Norfolk, VA.
LHD-2 Essex is in home port San Diego, CA.
LHD-3 Kearsarge is underway in home port, Norfolk, VA.
LHD-4 Boxer is in home port, San Diego. Non-deployable undergoing upgrades
LHD-5 Bataan is in home port Norfolk, VA.
LHD-6 Bonhomme Richard is in home port Sasebo, Japan.
LHD-7 Iwo Jima is in the 5th Fleet AOR.
LHD-8 Makin Island is in the Pacific headed for San Diego.
------
LHA-6 America, under construction, Avail. 2014, Northrop Grumann, Pascagoula.
LHA-7 Tripoli, contracted Avail. 2018, HII Ingalls, Pascagoula. $2.3B

Official Status of the Navy: www.navy.mil... (This is not always accurate.)
Carrier Locations: gonavy.jp... (Usually very accurate.)

Decommissioned carriers still floating (except one):

CV-59 Forrestal, com: 1955, decom 1993, Newport, RI, Fate: scrap or sink
CV-60 Saratoga, com: 1956, decom 1994, Newport, RI, Fate: scrap or sink
CV-61 Ranger, com: 1957, decom 1993. Bremerton, WA, Fate: scrap or museum
CV-62 Independence, com: 1959, decom 1998, Bremerton, WA, Fate: scrap or sink
CV-63 Kitty Hawk, com 1961, decom 2009, Bremerton; WA, Fate: reserve until 2015
CV-64 Constellation, com 1961, decom 2003, Bremerton, Fate: scrap or sink
CV-66 America, com 1965, decom 1996, Fate: scuttled in live fire exercise, 2005
CV-67 John F Kennedy, com 1968, decom 2007, Philadelphia, Fate: donation hold

mmmm i wonder if this is just routine or have this battle group had a war brief?

Not good me thinks, 3 carrier's surely not any kind of exercise. Dont those things carry tactical nukes? Its a toss up ether Iran or Syria's about to glow in the dark.

reply to post by andy06shake


i bet they will hit them both same time to show the world whos the daddy

It's normal. She'll arrive in the Gulf, and shortly after Lincoln will leave, and head home. There might be maybe a month of overlap, if that. It gives them time for any necessary briefings from the outgoing commanders to the incoming commanders, and for the new pilots to get used to the region.

Jan:

articles.businessinsider.com...

There were several times in the last few years, but that was just this year. The Lincoln departed the Gulf, and took up station in the Arabian Sea, and the Stennis left a month or so later.

reply to post by andy06shake


it would be nice to see how effective a pre emptive strike would be on a country, crispy noodle anyone yeeehaaaa

reply to post by vister74


Mate if it does happen, then our nations will surely follow suit, be carefull for what you wish for! WWIII will be no picnic me thinks.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Thanks for a sober assessment. The deployment is perfectly normal in every respect. One Strike Group has to get there before the other can leave. So every six months or so we go through this "Three carriers in the Gulf!" hysteria.

Originally posted by schuyler
reply to post by Zaphod58

 

So every six months or so we go through this "Three carriers in the Gulf!" hysteria.

Haha, you are so right, just go to the failed ATS search engine and type in "Three carriers in the Gulf"
and see how many results you get.

reply to post by Juggernog


"Haha, you are so right, just go to the failed ATS search engine and type in "Three carriers in the Gulf"
and see how many results you get."

I does look like 3 carriers in this location has indeed happened before, but take into account the current geopolitical climate, add the USA, and it could well turn out to be "Nuke me Baby!" for Iran! The American industrial complex need a new war after all.

Ok....sink the Enterprise...mmmm where have I heard that before. This will be the third time it will be sunk. Time to take your Meds.

Originally posted by andy06shake
reply to post by Juggernog

 

"Haha, you are so right, just go to the failed ATS search engine and type in "Three carriers in the Gulf"
and see how many results you get."

I does look like 3 carriers in this location has indeed happened before, but take into account the current geopolitical climate, add the USA, and it could well turn out to be "Nuke me Baby!" for Iran! The American industrial complex need a new war after all.

Thus you fall right into the trap. OF COURSE there have been three carriers in the Gulf before. The point here is that a normal rotation of carriers does not constitute any sort of escalation. But every single time we go through a normal rotation of carriers we have to go through this "We're gonna nuke Iran" nonsense.

The Eisenhower is going to sail into the Med, make a port visit in Spain or Italy, sail through the Suez, where the Lincoln will hand off duties. Then the Lincoln will sail up the Suez, make a port visit in Italy or Spain, sail across the Atlantic to Norfolk, where it will stay parked for three or four years because they are running out of gas.

In six or seven months this whole thing is going to happen again. The Eisenhower will be running low on Diet Coke, so another Carrier Strike Group, the Vinson or the Nimitz, or maybe even the Truman if it's ready, will head on over the the Gulf in a normal rotation, and people here will be saying, "We're gonna Nuke Iran!"

It's predictable and inevitable, and completely 100% wrong.

ATS does a very good job of turning normalcy into conspiracy, but sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

My first cousin is the Vice Admiral in command of the 5th Fleet, CNTCM and the Maritime Strike Group, blah blah blah...
I can't get him to talk to me about stuff though.
He's kind of a tough nut to crack.

Cuhail