Fri 11 US Warships & Israeli ship pass thru Suez Canal on way to Persian Gulf

[Christians4LessGvt]

Eleven US warships, one Israeli vessel
transit Suez Canal to Persian Gulf

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report June 19, 2010, 7:54 PM (GMT+02:00)  


USS Truman heads for Suez Canal

An armada of 11 US warships and one Israeli vessel passed through the Suez Canal Friday June 18
on their way to the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, debkafile reports exclusively from its military sources.
The fleet, the first of this composition to navigate the Suez Canal, is led by the USS Harry Truman
carrier and its Strike Group of 60 fighter-bombers and 6,000 seamen and marines.

Egyptian port authorities imposed exceptional security measures for the ships' passage.
All commercial and civilian traffic through the Suez Canal was halted and beefed-up security
forces posted along both its shores. Egyptian fishermen were recalled to port from their grounds
in the Bitter Lake.

The massive movement of this large US naval-air force plus an Israeli contingent is a strong new
factor in the continually rising Middle East tensions of the last two weeks, to which Iran has not
so far responded.

[sirs]

It could be that this Carrier Battle Group is merely moving in to give rest to another CBG already in the region, that would be moving out, once the Truman is on station

[Michael Tee]

<<The USS Harry S. Truman began a ten-month deployment, to the 5th and 6th fleet areas of operations, in support of maritime security operations[24] on May 21, 2010.>>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Harry_S._Truman_%28CVN-75%29#2010

The U.S. 5th Fleet, of course, has responsibility for the Persian Gulf.

Must be nice to be a sailor.  Join the Navy and see the world.

[BT]

Must be nice to be a sailor.  Join the Navy and see the world.

Yep

[Christians4LessGvt]

SIRS these descriptions don't sound like a typical operation to me....

"Friday, the biggest U.S. Naval task force in decades passed
out of the Med through the Suez Canal, on its way to the Persian Gulf"

According to the report, thousands of Egyptian soldiers were deployed along
the Suez Canal guarding the ships' passage, which included a U.S. aircraft carrier.

According to eyewitnesses, the U.S. battleships [sic] were the largest to have
crossed the Canal in many years, Al-Quds reported


Back on May 20:

debkafile's military sources report a decision by the Obama administration to boost US military strength in the
Mediterranean and Persian Gulf regions in the short term with an extra air and naval strike forces and 6,000 Marine
and sea combatants. Carrier Strike Group 10, headed by the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, sails out of the
US Navy base at Norfolk, Virginia Friday, May 21. On arrival, it will raise the number of US carriers off Iranian
shores to two. Up until now, President Barack Obama kept just one aircraft carrier stationed off the coast of Iran,
the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Arabian Sea, in pursuit of his policy of diplomatic engagement with Tehran.

For the first time, too, the US force opposite Iran will be joined by a German warship, the frigate FGS Hessen,
operating under American command.

It is also the first time that Obama, since taking office 14 months ago, is sending military reinforcements to the
Persian Gulf. Our military sources have learned that the USS Truman is just the first element of the new buildup
of US resources around Iran. It will take place over the next three months, reaching peak level in late July and early August.
By then, the Pentagon plans to have at least 4 or 5 US aircraft carriers visible from Iranian shores.

[sirs]

Must be nice to be a sailor.  Join the Navy and see the world.

Yep

Think he's jealous?

[Plane]

There isn't enough information here to say for sure that something out of the ordinary is happening.

The USN moveing 11 ships together is quite ordinary indeed.

[Christians4LessGvt]

There isn't enough information here to say for sure that something out of the ordinary is happening.
The USN moveing 11 ships together is quite ordinary indeed.

If this is true: "the Pentagon plans to have at least 4 or 5 US aircraft carriers visible from Iranian shores"
it would be very unusual.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Pentagon plans to have at least 4 or 5 US aircraft carriers visible from Iranian shores"
========================================================
How many carriers does the Navy have, anyway? That sounds like most of them.

I looked it up: Wikipedia claims that the US has 11 active carriers, and that is the same number of all other countries put together.

[Amianthus]

I looked it up: Wikipedia claims that the US has 11 active carriers, and that is the same number of all other countries put together.

That's the reason the US has unprecedented force projection pretty much anywhere in the world. We don't have to build a base, we just put one offshore.

[Michael Tee]

<<If this is true: "the Pentagon plans to have at least 4 or 5 US aircraft carriers visible from Iranian shores">>

If THAT'S true, sounds like a fantastic opportunity for the Chinese to show the Iranians what their shore-to-ship missiles can do to four or five aggressor carriers anchored within sight of their intended victims on the shore.  A little unexpected surprise for the wolf from the flock.  This could get interesting.

A little too good to be true though.  Sounds like the last thing in the world that Bankrupt Nation can afford is a third Middle East war to please its Israeli taskmasters.  They'll probably have to confine themselves to empty threats as usual, while they can still afford them.  Too bad for anyone expecting to see some fireworks and payback on this front.

[Christians4LessGvt]

If THAT'S true, sounds like a fantastic opportunity for the Chinese to show the Iranians
what their shore-to-ship missiles can do to four or five aggressor carriers anchored within
sight of their intended victims on the shore.  A little unexpected surprise for the wolf from the flock.  
This could get interesting. A little too good to be true though.  

Agree 100% Michael....way too good to be true.
I wish the Iranians would try something like you describe.
And then the nuclear armed Irsaeli and US subs cruising the waters of the Persian Gulf could let loose!

[Amianthus]

If THAT'S true, sounds like a fantastic opportunity for the Chinese to show the Iranians what their shore-to-ship missiles can do to four or five aggressor carriers anchored within sight of their intended victims on the shore.  A little unexpected surprise for the wolf from the flock.  This could get interesting.

That didn't work out quite as well as expected back in '91.

[Michael Tee]

<<That didn't work out quite as well as expected back in '91.>>

I'm afraid that reference went right over my head.  Hopefully, if Chinese missiles failed a victim of U.S. aggression in '91, they may have learned from the failure and produced a better weapon for 2010.

[Plane]

There isn't enough information here to say for sure that something out of the ordinary is happening.
The USN moveing 11 ships together is quite ordinary indeed.

If this is true: "the Pentagon plans to have at least 4 or 5 US aircraft carriers visible from Iranian shores"
it would be very unusual.

I didn't beleive that part.

If that were done it would look like a traffic jam.