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| Europe |
| Ships to set sail for Mediterranean terror deployment |
| 2005-05-30 |
| Some of the five Navy ships deploying unexpectedly from the East Coast will be spending their deployment in the Mediterranean, according to Navy officials. The ships and their 2,500 sailors are making the deployment, according to a press release from the Norfolk, Va.-based 2nd Fleet, to "detect [and] disrupt international terrorist organizations' use of the maritime environment." Heading east will be the amphibious assault ship USS Saipan, the amphibious transport ship USS Nashville, the frigate USS Nicholas, the cruiser USS Philippine Sea and dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall. Neither 6th Fleet public affairs officer Cmdr. Cate Mueller nor 2nd Fleet officials would say which of the ships would remain in the Mediterranean. Those that do stay will "be engaging in a variety of productive theater security cooperation exercises, events and operations ⊠which are invaluable contributions to the international fight against terrorism," Mueller said. "These ships are coming for identified purposes, not just for a regularly scheduled deployment, and we are eager to put them to work ⊠." The ships will be working in conjunction with other nations, including NATO allies and countries in northern Africa, she said. The deployments are being made through the Fleet Response Plan, which last summer deployed dozens of ships, including seven aircraft carrier groups. FRP is designed to get ships ready for deployment sooner than in the past and keep them ready longer in case they are called to deploy unexpectedly, according to 2nd Fleet commander Vice Adm. Mark Fitzgerald. The Saipan, Nashville and Gunston Hall are designed to carry Marines and their equipment, but a 2nd Fleet public affairs official said the ships won't be taking the Marines, only their regular complement of sailors. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #11 Thanks Fred for posting the article, sorry I just left in the comments section but the kids (big and small)were screaming at me to get off the computer...had to hop for the BBQ. Dittos,I have similar thoughts as you guys stated..*Something up*..with all human traffic from Africa to Italy and who knows what all is happening along the coast..Horn of Africa,North Africa,Malta,etc. |
| Posted by: R 2005-05-30 22:55 |
| #10 Bet it just 'cause we can. See what developes in the airwaz. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-05-30 20:17 |
| #9 Assad? aren't you glad you have coast access? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-30 18:40 |
| #8 To a lay person it looks like predeployment of hardware for an amphibious assault. I wonder where? Try as I might, I can't expand the list beyond Syria. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-05-30 18:28 |
| #7 Special Ops extraction? From where? |
| Posted by: BrerRabbit 2005-05-30 18:19 |
| #6 Helicopters. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-05-30 18:13 |
| #5 ....to âdetect [and] disrupt international terrorist organizationsâ use of the maritime environment.â Why would you use an amphibious assault ship for maritime interdiction? Something is not what it seems. Popcorn is called for. |
| Posted by: BrerRabbit 2005-05-30 18:04 |
| #4 Watch my left hand, ignore my foot? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-05-30 14:40 |
| #3 interesting. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-05-30 14:08 |
| #2 I suspect that this is an "evacuation fleet", perhaps to join the French and British off the coast of Lebanon, in case things go haywire. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-05-30 13:30 |
| #1 Marine assault ships with no Marines on them? Something's up. They must have gotten wind of a possible WMD transfer from Africa/Middle East to Europe, is my guess. Hope they find whatever it is they're looking for. |
| Posted by: gromky 2005-05-30 13:27 |