Current:Home > ScamsThe USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is returning home after extended deployment defending Israel -DollarDynamic
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is returning home after extended deployment defending Israel
View
Date:2025-04-17 18:50:43
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 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.
veryGood! (9245)
Related
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- RHOBH's Kyle Richards Reveals If She Keeps in Touch With Lisa Rinna
- Attention, #BookTok, Jessica Chastain Clarifies Her Comment on “Not Doing” Evelyn Hugo Movie
- Do Your Eye Makeup in 30 Seconds and Save 42% On These Tarte Products
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- How worried should you be about your gas stove?
- Threats to water and biodiversity are linked. A new U.S. envoy role tackles them both
- Glee’s Kevin McHale Regrets Not Praising Cory Monteith’s Acting Ability More Before His Death
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- California's flooding reveals we're still building cities for the climate of the past
Ranking
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- News Round Up: aquatic vocal fry, fossilizing plankton and a high seas treaty
- Pamper Yourself With an $18 Deal on $53 Worth of Clinique Products
- Life Is Hard For Migrants On Both Sides Of The Border Between Africa And Europe
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Victoria Justice Sets Record Straight on Claim She's Jealous of Ariana Grande
- Searching For A New Life
- EPA seeks to mandate more use of ethanol and other biofuels
Recommendation
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Saint-Louis is being swallowed by the sea. Residents are bracing for a new reality
Earth Day 2023: Shop 15 Sustainable Clothing & Home Brands For Effortlessly Eco-Friendly Style
Charli D'Amelio Enters Her Blonde Bob Era During Coachella 2023
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
Kristin Cavallari Reveals the “Challenges” of Dating After Jay Cutler Divorce
Victoria Justice Sets Record Straight on Claim She's Jealous of Ariana Grande
Biden tightens methane emissions rules, even as the U.S. pushes for more oil drilling