They Navy destroyer Mason arrived home in Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Monday, following a long and dangerous cruise battling Houthi rebels in the Middle East. (Navy)
They Navy destroyer Mason arrived home in Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Monday, following a long and dangerous cruise battling Houthi rebels in the Middle East. (Navy)
The Navy destroyer Mason returned home to Naval Station Mayport, Florida, on Monday after more than eight months of deployment, in which it “faced unprecedented attacks” from Iran-backed-Houthi rebels, the sea service said.
Deployed as part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, Mason was one of the warships at the forefront of countering Houthi drones and missiles during its cruise in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
All told, Mason was deployed for 263 days in those waters and in the Mediterranean Sea.
“I am extremely proud of this battle tested and battle proven crew who achieved unparalleled accomplishments while deployed,” Mason’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Justin B. Smith, said in a statement. “No matter the threat or challenge, they demonstrated an innate ability to sustain a high level of readiness for eight months by thinking on their feet and quickly reacting. As result of their abilities, they protected Mason’s crew and exceeded all mission tasking throughout deployment.”
Mason not only shot down air attack drones and anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Houthi territory in Yemen that targeted both Navy and merchant ships, but also escorted and rescued 26 merchant vessels as they transited the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.
The Navy destroyer Mason arrived home Monday. The warship’s sailors are shown here heaving in a line in May. (Navy)
In one such instance, on Nov. 26, Mason captured pirates who had seized the M/V Central Park, boarding the vessel and freeing crew members who were stuck in the ship’s citadel.
The rest of Ike’s strike group, including the carrier, the cruiser Philippine Sea and the remaining warships of Destroyer Squadron 22, are now headed home as well, and were operating in the Mediterranean this week, according to the Navy.
The current battle in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden between the Houthis and the Navy’s surface fleet is the most sustained and kinetic action the sea service has seen since World War II.
The crew of the Navy destroyer Mason puts in work in March during its deployment to the Middle East. (Navy)
It’s also the first time that anti-ship ballistic missiles have ever been used in combat, according to Navy brass.
While Ike’s air wing has pounded Houthi sites in Yemen and intercepted ordnance, warships like the Mason have often had mere seconds to identify and take out such attacks.
“U.S. and coalition vessels also are being targeted,” Rear Adm. Marc Miguez, commander of Ike’s Carrier Strike Group 2, wrote this month in the U.S. Naval Institute’s “Proceedings” magazine. “We have to be right 100 percent of the time, but the Houthis have to be right only once.”
An unidentified sailor assigned to the Navy destroyer Mason hugs a loved one after returning to Naval Station Mayport, Florida, on Monday. (Navy)
Mason and its strike group comrades steamed more than 65,000 nautical miles during this tour, launching more than 100 Standard and Tomahawk missiles, according to Miguez.
The strike group’s air wing has fired more than 80 air-to-air missiles and released more than 350 air-to-surface weapons, he wrote.
“This is all against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who are menacing civilian merchant shipping, including using anti-ship ballistic missiles against these noncombatants,” Miguez wrote.
Geoff is the editor of Navy Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at [email protected].
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) underway. Bon Homme Richard, with assigned Attack Carrier Air Wing 19 (CVW-19), was deployed to Vietnam from 21 April 1965 to 13 January 1966.
She was the third Navy ship named after the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, the first being Cincinnati, an ironclad commissioned in 1862, during the Civil War, and the second being Cincinnati, a protected cruiser, that was decommissioned in 1919.
Cincinnati split her pre-war career between the Atlantic and the Pacific fleets. She served in the Scouting Fleet, based in the Atlantic, in 1924 to 1927, serving in the Pacific for a brief time in 1925 for fleet maneuvers. Cincinnati joined the Asiatic Fleet in 1927, and returned to the Atlantic from 1928 to 1932. She continued to go back and forth between oceans until March 1941, when she was assigned to Neutrality Patrol in the western Atlantic.
When the United States entered World War II she was assigned to TF41, based at Recife, and used on convoy escort duties and patrols in the south Atlantic. In 1944, she sailed for the Mediterranean to support Operation Dragoon, the invasion of the south of France. After the war, she was deemed surplus and scrapped at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in February 1946 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cincinnati_(CL-6)
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of July 1, 2024, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.
Ships Underway
Total Battle Force
Deployed
Underway
296 (USS 235, USNS 61)
106 (USS 73, USNS 33)
62 (45 Deployed, 17 Local)
In Japan
The official party salute as the ceremonial color guard parades the colors during a change of command ceremony for Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Japan/Navy Region Japan (CNFJ/CNRJ) at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, June 26, 2024. Rear Adm. Ian Johnson relieved Rear Adm. Carl Lahti as the 37th commander of CNFJ/CNRJ on June 26, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS America (LHA-6) is in Sasebo. America will change homeports later this year, USNI News has learned.
In Laem Chabang, Thailand
Mass Communication Specialist 2nd class Toi Williams takes a photograph aboard the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship, USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) as Blue Ridge arrives in Laem Chabang on June 28, 2024. US Navy Photo
U.S. 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) arrived in Laem Chabang, Thailand on Friday for a scheduled port visit.
In the East China Sea
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol gives remarks aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in Busan, Republic of Korea, June 25, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), along with ships and aircraft from Japan and the Republic of Korea, participated in the inaugural execution of exercise Freedom Edge, a trilateral multi-domain exercise to promote interoperability and stability in the Indo-Pacific, including the Korean Peninsula. Theodore Roosevelt is expected to transit to the Middle East to relieve USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) and continue a U.S. presence mission in the region, as reported by USNI News.
Carrier Strike Group 9
Sailors heave around lines during sea and anchor detail aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) as the ship departs Busan, Republic of Korea (ROK), June 26, 2024. US Navy Photo
Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), homeported at San Diego, Calif.
Carrier Air Wing 11
A MH-60S Knight Hawk, assigned to the ‘Eightballers’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8, takes off from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) during exercise Freedom Edge, June 28, 2024. US Navy Photo
The “Fist of the Fleet” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
The “Black Knights” of VFA 154 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The “Blue Blasters” of VFA 34 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Fighting Checkmates” of VFA 211 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Rooks” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Liberty Bells” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 115 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
The “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
The “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
The “Eightballers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.
Cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
Destroyer Squadron 23 Destroyer Squadron 23 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Theodore Roosevelt.
USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
USS Halsey (DDG-97), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
In the Middle Pacific
Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, USS Robert Smalls (CG-62), receives a fueling line from USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), during a fueling-at-sea in the Pacific Ocean, July 1, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is underway in U.S. 3rd Fleet, USNI News has learned.
The carrier will head to Washington state later this year for a planned repair availability. USS George Washington (CVN-73) will replace Reagan in Japan.
In Peal Harbor, Hawaii
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024, June 25, 2024. US Navy Photo
An AH-1Z Viper, left, assigned to the ‘Blue Knights’ of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 365 (Reinforced), and an MH-60S Knight Hawk, assigned to the ‘Dragon Whales’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28, flies patrol as the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1) transits the Strait of Gibraltar, June 26, 2024. US Navy Photo
The command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20) transited eastbound through the Strait of Gibraltar on Sunday, according to ship spotters.
The Wasp Amphibious Ready Group with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked deployed from the East Coast on June 1. The ARG is made up of Wasp, USS New York (LPD-21) and USS Oak Hill (LSD-51).
The 24th MEU is composed of a command element, Battalion Landing Team 1/8, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 24 as the Logistics Combat Element.
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) arrived Souda Bay, Greece on Tuesday, according to ship spotters.
Eisenhower will operate briefly in the Mediterranean before returning to its homeport of Norfolk, Va., after being deployed for more than eight months. USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), currently in the Pacific, will leave for the Middle East to continue a U.S. presence mission in the region, USNI News reported.
Carrier Strike Group 2
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) arrives in Souda Bay, Greece, June 25, 2024. US Navy Photo
Carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Carrier Air Wing 3
The “Gunslingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Fighting Swordsmen” of VFA 32 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Rampagers” of VFA 83 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Wildcats” of VFA 131 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Zappers” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Screwtops” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 123 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
The “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
The “Dusty Dogs” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 – MH-60S – from Naval Station Norfolk.
Cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
Destroyer Squadron 22 Destroyer Squadron 22 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Eisenhower.
USS Gravely (DDG-107), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
USS Mason (DDG-87), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.
The temporary U.S.-built pier aimed at boosting aid shipments to Gaza was removed once again due to weather to protect it, and the U.S. is considering not reinstalling it unless the aid begins flowing out into the population again, U.S. officials said Friday.
In the Red Sea
U.S. ships continue to patrol the Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S.-led multinational effort to protect merchant vessels moving through the region. Houthi forces in Yemen continue to attack merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, while U.S. naval forces in the region have continued strikes against Houthi weapons that U.S. Central Command says are a threat to naval and merchant ships. Houthi forces say they are targeting ships with connections to the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Israel.
The U.N. Security Council on Jan. 10 approved a resolution calling on Yemen’s Houthi rebel group to “cease its brazen” attacks in the Red Sea.
On Sunday, U.S. Central Command destroyed three Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed surface vessels in the Red Sea in a self-defense action.
On Friday, CENTCOM forces successfully destroyed seven Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles and one ground control station vehicle in Yemen.
On Thursday, CENTCOM forces destroyed one uncrewed aerial system launched by Houthis into the Red Sea.
On Wednesday, CENTCOM forces destroyed one Houthi radar site in Yemen.
In the Persian Gulf
U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships with U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East. Initially deployed in 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA is now a permanent presence based out of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
In the Western Atlantic
The amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) departed Norfolk, Va. on Tuesday for sea trials following a two-and-a-half-year DSRA and returned on Friday, according to ship spotters.
In the Eastern Pacific
Colombian navy special forces simulate visit, board, search, and seizure on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) while underway in the Pacific Ocean, June 29, 2024. US Navy Photo
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) conducted bilateral exercises with the Colombian Navy on Saturday.
As part of its transit to Japan, George Washington is participating in Southern Seas 2024, which seeks “to enhance capability, improve interoperability, and strengthen maritime partnerships with countries throughout the region through joint, multinational and interagency exchanges and cooperation,” according to a news release from U.S. Southern Command.
In addition to these major formations, not shown are others serving in submarines, individual surface ships, aircraft squadrons, SEALs, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, Seabees, EOD Mobile Units and more serving throughout the globe.
Watch: Russians using Mad Max-style motorcycle combinations in Ukraine
Russian forces have been using a new incarnation of Second World War-style equipment on the frontline in Ukraine – the motorcycle.
War is said to be the mother of all invention, and these motorbike and makeshift sidecar combinations have been fitted with some sort of overhead cover.
These latest Mad Max-style pieces of battlefield tech look like a distant cousin or offshoot of the Turtle Tank family and have been dubbed the Motor Shed.
A video circulating on social media hints at the value Russian commanders are putting on the manoeuvrability of motorbikes in combat conditions.
Looking more like a WW2 exhibit at a military museum, the ‘sidecars’ – resembling an open-topped rectangular crate – appear to have been designed for either carrying supplies or for casualty evacuation.
The motorbikes themselves appear to be copies of Second World War-era German BMW or Zundapp motorcycles.
These were used to good effect, both with and without sidecars, during Operation Barbarossa – Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941.
It is unclear how successful the Motor Sheds might be in protecting troops or delivering supplies.
But their presence is further evidence of the desperate search by Russian commanders to find new ways to replace depleted kit destroyed by Ukrainian forces.
The presence of the SSBN in the Pacific demonstrates the flexibility, survivability, readiness, and capability of the U.S. Navy submarine forces and complements the many exercises, training, operations, and other military cooperation activities conducted by Strategic Forces to ensure they are available and ready to operate around the globe at any time. Homeported in Bangor, Washington, and currently assigned to Submarine Squadron 17, Louisiana is an undetectable launch platform for submarine-launched ballistic missiles, providing the United States with its most survivable leg of the nuclear triad. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Andrew McPeek)
The USS Wasp and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard is sailing with the USS Oak Hill and USS New York. (John Minchillo/AP)
The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea this week as the U.S. positions warships to try to keep fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon from escalating into a wider war in the Middle East.
While the Wasp has the capability to assist in the evacuation of civilians if full-scale war breaks out between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group along the Lebanon border, that’s not the primary reason it was rotated in, a U.S. official said.
“It’s about deterrence,” the official said.
A second U.S. official said the rotation is similar to the U.S. sending the USS Bataan assault ship into the waters around Israel shortly after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, with the vessel remaining for months in the eastern Mediterranean to help provide options and try to contain the conflict. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operational details.
U.S. officials said last week that the deployment of the Wasp was likely as the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and its air wing left the region. The Wasp carries F-35 fighter jets, which do short takeoffs and vertical landings, so they can do airstrike missions off smaller ships.
U.S. European Command, which is responsible for ships operating in the Mediterranean, announced the move this week, saying the Wasp and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard would sail with the dock landing ship USS Oak Hill, which is used to transport Marines, landing craft, vehicles and cargo. The Oak Hill is already in the Mediterranean.
The Wasp also is sailing with the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York, which can deliver troops either by on-deck helicopters or landing vessels.
It all comes as Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged near-daily cross-border strikes since the Oct. 7 attacks that launched the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and they have been escalating gradually.
A U.S. official said concerns about a major escalation are now lower than they were last week but remain higher than they were last month. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to relate internal Biden administration thinking, said the assessment had less to do with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s meetings in Washington this week and more to do with a reduction in attacks from both Hezbollah and Israel in recent days.
The Israeli army said last week that it has “approved and validated” plans for an offensive in Lebanon, although any decision would come from the country’s political leaders.
Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday that any Israeli military offensive into Lebanon would risk an Iranian response in defense of Hezbollah, triggering a broader war that could put American forces in the region in danger.
This week the United States and 28 partner nations began the world’s largest naval war exercise off the shores of Hawaii. Known as Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, analysts say this year’s exercise gives partners a chance to work together while sending a strong deterrence message to China.
SNS Burlington (T-EPF 10) transits in the Caribbean Sea during UNITAS 23 July 16, 2023. US Navy Photo
USNS Burlington (T-EPF-10) will deploy July 3 and head to the Caribbean and South America for the beginning of the Continuing Promise mission.
Continuing Promise is a humanitarian mission that sees Navy sailors, medical professionals and civilians provide medical care for communities in need, while also building partnerships, a panel of Navy leaders told reporters Friday. The Navy will visit Jamaica, Costa Rica, Honduras, Colombia and Panama.
The mission set for this year’s Continuing Promise exercise will include the medical aide and working to establish relationships with partners, as well as discussions on humanitarian aid and disaster relief, women, peace and security, said Rear Adm. Jim Aiken, commander of US 4th Fleet and Naval Forces Southern Command, during a roundtable.
“We have friends and we have partners, and, really, we enjoy the side-by-side that we have with each and every one of them, and we learn from them, and they learn from us,” Aiken said.
This year, Continuing Promise will not include hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH-20). Instead, Burlington will act as the hub for the mission due to its transport capabilities. Although the EPFs are being outfitted to be able to handle medical operations, most operations will be done on land, he said.
The Navy may consider Burlington as a lead ship for the Navy’s hybrid fleet, Aiken said, which means the Navy can look at how the EPF functions during the mission.
“So the ETF is really just a hub, a base for operations,” Aiken said. “Going forward, certainly there’ll be some things to learn about, how to best outfit it, how to best resupply it, where it can pull into, you know, those types of things.”
While the Navy does track how many patients are seen, the metrics for the mission’s success are qualitative, he said.
“But at the end of the day, what we’re really evaluating, what we’re really assessing, is the strength of the relationships, and that’s really what’s most important going forward,” he said.
The mission has seen success in previous years, something that Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Smith, Continuing Promise 2024 Mission commander, expects to see this year as well.
“The mission is a symbol of our long-standing commitment to the nations and people of Latin America and the Caribbean, and we’ve delivered on our promises, working hand in hand with our partners to deliver, over the course of the history of mission, more than 600,000 medical treatments, over 7000 surgeries and you know, countless construction projects, holding life projects, community relations events,” he said.
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