Amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 50) and dock touchdown ship USS Carter Corridor (LSD 50) entered the Purple Sea after transiting from the Mediterranean Sea by the Suez Canal. Bataan ARG/twenty sixth MEU models convey to the area extra aviation and naval property, in addition to extra U.S. Marines and Sailors, offering better flexibility and maritime functionality to U.S. fifth Fleet.
An amphibious assault ship can carry greater than two dozen rotary-wing and fixed-wing plane, together with MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor plane and AV-8B Harrier assault jets along with a number of amphibious touchdown craft. A dock touchdown ship additionally helps operations for varied rotary-wing plane, tactical automobiles and amphibious touchdown craft.
The Bataan ARG departed Norfolk, Virginia on July 10 with Amphibious Squadron 8, Fleet Surgical Group 8, Tactical Air Management Squadron 21, Helicopter Sea Fight Squadron 26, Assault Craft Unit 4, Seaside Grasp Unit 2 and the twenty sixth MEU.
The twenty sixth MEU, based mostly in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, is able to conducting amphibious missions, disaster response and restricted contingency operations to incorporate enabling the introduction of follow-on forces and designated particular operations.
The U.S. fifth Fleet space of operations encompasses roughly 2.5 million sq. miles of water area and contains the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Purple Sea, elements of the Indian Ocean and three essential choke factors on the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Strait of Bab al-Mandeb.
