Third US carrier, 4,000 Marines Augment US Armada Opposite Iran

Debka ^ | June 28,2010 | Staff

[lbryce]

debkafile's military sources report that Washington has posted a third carrier opposite Iran's shores. It is supported by amphibious assault ships and up to 4,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel, bringing the total US strength in these waters to three carriers and 10,000 combat personnel.

The USS Nassau (LHA-4) Amphibious Ready Group 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, tasked with supporting the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet area of operations, is cruising around the Bab al-Mandeb Straits where the Gulf of Aden flows into the Red Sea. Its presence there accounts for Tehran announcing Sunday, June 27 that its "aid ship for Gaza" had been called off, for fear an American military boarding party would intercept the vessel and search it.

This would be permissible under the latest UN sanctions punishing the Islamic Republic for its nuclear program.

The third US carrier group to reach waters around Iran consists of three vessels:
1. The USS Nassau Amphibious Assault ship is not just an enormous landing craft for the 3,000 Marines aboard; its decks carry 6 vertical take-off AV-HB Harrier attack plans; four AH-1W Super Cobra, twelve CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters, as well choppers convertible to fast V-22 Osprey airplanes capable of landing in any conditions.
This vast warship has 1,400 cabinets for sleeping the entire Marine-24th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard.

2. The amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde which carries 800 Marines equipped for instantaneous landing.

3. The amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland which carries 400 Marines and 102 commandos trained for special operations behind enemy lines.

[lbryce]

Significant military build-up, prelude to what? Right now it's anybody's guess.

[TomServo]

prelude to what?

Hopefully, a righteous and severe ass-kicking.

[Dallas59]

To ensure that Israel doesn’t attack Iran? I just can’t see bammy defending any of our good allies.

[Gabrial]

“prelude to what?”

Most likely an Obama apology.

[lbryce]

To be righteous would require nothing less than being severe.

[hennie pennie]

*ping*

[DJ Elliott]

BS
They make this claim every turnover.
Every 4 months or so.
The numbers and positions are not even close.

It is my belief that they do this to jack-up oil prices.

[mitch5501]

"Its presence there accounts for Tehran announcing Sunday, June 27 that its "aid ship for Gaza" had been called off, for fear an American military boarding party would intercept the vessel and search it."

So what? Since when did the American military have a problem with aid? Unless of course...

[Recon Dad]

I doubt the 4,000 Marines. The 24th MEU only has 2,200 Marines. The rest must be the Navy.

[kabar]

These are not conventional carriers. They are used to support amphibious operations. A few Harrier jets do not make an aircraft carrier in the conventional sense.

[lbryce]

Debkafile's military sources report that Washington has posted a third carrier opposite Iran's shores..

So are you saying that the US naval build-up in the gulf region opposite Iran is not militarily legitimate having been deployed by Washington, and by inference the CIC, merely to influence the price of oil?
You have an interesting take on the news, I must say.

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

“Amphibious Warfare Ships:
USS Nassau (LHA 4) - visit Port Victoria”
~~~

I thought Port Victoria was in Texas!!!...;0)

[Mariner]

The fact these Groups are not in the Persian Gulf, but outside in the Arabian Sea, lends credence to the potential for SOMETHING.

[Mariner]

An LHA carries 2,200 Marines and 900 Sailors.

Of course, with hot-racking they COULD pump that up some...but sheesh, talk about LOUSY living conditions.

When I was on LHA-1 (Tarawa) the Marines were spending all their waking time in the chow line:)

[cranked]

Debka hyping again......

[PapaBear3625]

This doesn’t pass the smell test. We don’t need amphibious access to Iran. With MUCH less noticeable buildup, we could have a LOT more men and hardware across Iran’s borders with Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Recon Dad]

My son's been on two MEU's and they cram them in tight. He was lucky both times, once he was Force Recon and the last time he was Marsoc. They bunk by themselves, not great but better.

[ASA Vet]

You don't remember the Marine prep for an invasion of Iraq, (the first time,?) It drew some of the Iraqi forces to the beach and away from the real push. Big noisy ships, planes, choppers, and landing craft draw attention.

[DJ Elliott]

I have been deployed there repeatedly in my 22 years in the USN. The TWO carriers are doing routine scheduled turnover. We do not gap the carriers in the IO.

The gators are also standard mix and standard scheduled turnover for the ESG/MEU that is CENTCOM’s reserve. The big deck gator is not a carrier capable of significant strikes on Iran.

Every time there is a carrier turnover for the last 6 years, there is a press claim that we are about to strike. Debeka always makes this claim. So do the Russian and Iranian press. And oil prices go up.

This is BS propaganda to prop up the oil prices which are looking to slide down again. The source is oil exporting countries. When you see 4 CVNs in the IO, and the PG empties out of all major USN units, then you can cry wolf.

This is normal levels of activity, not a build-up. It is normal for there to be a CVBG and an ESG in the IO. It is normal for them to turnover every 4-6 months. Been there and done that many times...

[rrrod]

probably there to protect Iran from the evil Jews...ya know how ombama is!