Navy Ships Stationed Off Coast Of Syria Coming Home After Extended Deployments
Norfolk, Va. – At the height of the Syria crisis, the Navy had 5 destroyers and an aircraft carrier strike group ready to respond.
“Your shipmates are out there on the Nimitz, the William P. Lawrence, the Stockdale, they are providing the credible threat to the Syrian government,” said Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert during an “All Hands Call” at Naval Station Norfolk Thursday.
That’s where he broke the news that some of those ships will finally be on their way home soon, after their deployments were extended to 9 and even 10 months.
According to Navy officials, the Nimitz strike group will leave the Mediterranean Sea in the next few weeks to return to Washington state.
There will be no replacement sent for her–only the Truman Carrier Strike Group will stay in the region, sailing around the Arabian Sea for their regularly scheduled deployment.
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http://wtkr.com/2013/10/23/navy-ships-stationed-off-coast-of-syria-coming-home-after-extended-deployments/
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US Navy Carrier Departing Persian Gulf Region After Months; Were In Region Over Syria
BY LOLITA C. BALDOR, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NOVEMBER 8, 2013 11:40 AM
WASHINGTON - The U.S. is bringing an aircraft carrier home from the Persian Gulf region, the Defence Department said Friday, after keeping two of the warships there for months as the Obama administration considered a military strike on Syria.
The decision to bring back the USS Nimitz underscores the shift from a pointed military threat against the Syrian government to a broader diplomatic approach. It comes as international experts work to meet a mid-2014 deadline to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons program.
According to officials, the Nimitz moved through the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea, and is expected to be back at its home port on the West Coast before Christmas. The Navy destroyer the USS Graveley also has left the Mediterranean Sea and is returning home.
The U.S. sharply increased its Navy presence in the region after a deadly Aug. 21 chemical weapon attack on rebel-held Damascus suburbs. Washington and its allies said the Syrian government was responsible for the attack.
The U.S. spread cruisers and destroyers across the eastern Mediterranean, waiting for the command to launch missiles into Syria. But after threatening military action, President Barack Obama on Aug. 31 abruptly announced he would go to Congress for approval of a strike.
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http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/world/Navy+carrier+returning+base+after+months+Persian+Gulf/9143371/story.html