[Tallguy]

By “Persian Gulf” I take them to mean (northern) Indian Ocean (or even the Red Sea). I don’t think you’d actually push a carrier past the Strait of Hormuz or try to conduct flight ops in crowded Gulf waters.

[A.A. Cunningham]

You are mistaken.

[Drew68]

By “Persian Gulf” I take them to mean (northern) Indian Ocean (or even the Red Sea). I don’t think you’d actually push a carrier past the Strait of Hormuz or try to conduct flight ops in crowded Gulf waters.

Carriers routinely sail and conduct flight ops in the Gulf and have port calls in Bahrain and Jebel Ali. Carriers have a shallow draft in relation to their size and can steam most places in the gulf.

It can get a bit crowded, though.

[Solitar]

We should have 7 or 8 carriers deployed at all times because we have 12 carriers. They should spend only 3 months out of 12 at home (3 months, not 6 months). That allows 3 carrier groups in the Northern Indian Ocean, 2 carrier groups in the Mediterranean, 2 carrier groups in the Western Pacific, maybe 1 carrier group in the Atlantic (and 2 or 3 at home not undergoing overhaul or repairs should be ready to go on a week's notice). No? The USS Saratoga was in port for repair and overhaul maybe 12 months out of 45 months during WWII. One deployed stretch lasted 12 months. There was a war on then. There is a war on now.