At least ten warships at or heading to Lebanon

[SlipperySlope]

So far I know that the UK, USA, Italy, France, and Greece are sending warships to help with the evacuations:


United Kingdom Destroyer HMS Gloucester


United Kingdom Destroyer HMS York


United Kingdom Frigate HMS St Albans


United Kingdom Carrier HMS Illustrious


United Kingdom Assault Ship HMS Bulwark


United States Destroyer USS Gonzalez


Italian Destroyer Durand de la Penne


French Destroyer Jean de Vienne


French Landing Ship Siroco


Greek Frigate (name unknown)

[bemildred]

1. Dang, this could interfere with the military dog and pony show. nt

[htuttle]

2. I don't wanna die for Fernando Poo!

[shain from kane]

6. I don't want to die for Fernando Shit! n/t

[iamahaingttta]

7. Sometimes I think...

... Osama bin Laden is Hagbard Celine.

[LanternWaste]

24. Second time this week I've seen a reference to him

Fourth time this week I've seen/heard a reference to him (and it's only Tuesday, fer Pete's sake). Ahhh... would that I were young and reading fiction again :)

[htuttle]

28. It's because they're trying to immanentize the eschaton again

All sorts of synchronistic stuff gets stirred up when they do that.

"I Circle Around, I Circle Around The Boundaries Of the Earth."

:evilgrin:

[leesa]

3. The Neocon wet dream. This will help the economy, Wall Street salivates

[AnOhioan]

4. Your screen name describes the situation perfectly n/t

[Poll_Blind]

5. Russians probably coming too...(link inside)

Right here.

PB

[cobalt1999]

8. I'm disappointed with the French.

What dumpy looking ships. Where's that famous French style?

[SlipperySlope]

9. LOL

[MADem]

12. Ah, but the interiors are FABULOUS!!!! NT

[tocqueville]

13. look below (BPC Mistral)

Most of the modern French Navy is outside Pakistan assisting Enduring Freedom.

[RagingInMiami]

16. You should see what they eat in the mess hall

It blows away anything the American ships have.

[54anickel]

10. Westerners flee Lebanon as attacks continue; diplomacy hoped to end fighti

Westerners flee Lebanon as attacks continue; diplomacy hoped to end fighting

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=112d84c9-e0ef-4a56-afda-9e38d0239eb5&k=93119

snip>

Canadian officials said six chartered passenger ships will be positioned off the coast of Lebanon beginning Wednesday to evacuate up to 4,500 trapped Canadians a day from the strife-torn country.

snip>

A cruise ship, the Orient Queen, escorted by a U.S. destroyer was to begin evacuating some of the 25,000 Americans in Lebanon on Tuesday, joining U.S. military helicopters that have ferried about a score of U.S. citizens to a British base on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. More helicopter transfers were planned Tuesday, a U.S. official said.

On the sixth day of its major offensive in Lebanon, Israel was allowing evacuation ships through its blockade of the country. France and Italy moved hundreds of nationals and other Europeans out Monday on a Greek cruise liner. An Italian ship left earlier with 350 people, and other governments were organizing pullouts by land to Syria.

Diplomatic efforts gained traction with Israel signalling it might scale back its demands. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said fighting would halt only if Hezbollah, a Shiite militia that controls much of south Lebanon, pulls back from the border and releases the two soldiers whose capture last week triggered the Israeli offensive.

An aide to Olmert indicated the prime minister was ready to compromise on the question of dismantling the Islamic militant group. But the aide said Olmert might oppose a UN and British idea of deploying international forces to Lebanon.

The current UN force in southern Lebanon has proven impotent and a larger, stronger force could hamper any future Israeli attacks, should any deal fall apart. Israel wants the Lebanese government to patrol the south.

more...

[tocqueville]

11. The BPC Mistral should leave soon too

The Mistral (L9013) is an amphibious assault helicopter carrier of the French Marine Nationale, the fourth vessel to bear the name, and lead ship of her class.

She is capable of deploying 16 NH90 or Tigre, four landing barges and a 40-tank Leclerc squadron, with up to 450 soldiers (900 for a short period). She also has a fully capable 50-bed hospital.

[mom cat]

14. And all of this is about a couple of kidnapped soldiers? ... RIGHT!

This was all pre-planned.

[muriel_volestrangler]

22. It doesn't take long to get ships across the Med

In fact, I'm surprised the US hadn't got a ship there earlier. The cruise boat that the US has hired normally takes cruises from Lebanon to Cyprus and Egypt, so it was there, and available, already. 5 days to organise this isn't quick.

[malaise]

27. BIngo n/t

[Sequoia]

30. Sadly true.

[madokie]

15. These babys are turning and burning, wonder how many knotts an hour

they're traveling.

[Recursion]

20. I think "knot" already includes "per hour"

In that one knot is one nautical mile per hour.

[madokie]

21. I wondered about that, thanks

[slaveplanet]

17. "freedom is

on the march"

[SlipperySlope]

18. Rumor has it that:

Just a rumor right now, maybe Russia is posturing:

Russian Carrier Kuznetsov:

[Recursion]

19. Let's see if I get this...

...the eastern Med will be packed with Israeli, US, British, French, Italian, and Russian ships, aircraft, and marines in the middle of a shooting war?

Yeah... nothing could possible go wrong there... :sarcasm:

Seriously, that much naval and air power in one place is an international incident waiting to happen.

[SlipperySlope]

23. What could go wrong?

Given that Hizbu'llāh now appears to have C-802 missiles, what could possibly go wrong?

[spanone]

25. Headed to Iran VIA Lebanon....wait & see.

[SlipperySlope]

26. The party keeps getting bigger

New arrivals:

USS Iwo Jima





USS Nashville





USS Whidbey Island

[SlipperySlope]

29. What's a global party without India!

India decided that they couldn't stay away:

INS Mumbai





INS Betwa





INS Brahmaputra





INS Shakti