Just to update on this post, now well on its way into the TYR Greatest Hits..
Current status of various US aircraft carriers is as follows: Dwight D. Eisenhower, CVN-69 sailed from Limassol, Cyprus on Saturday after calling in for a chilled Keo beer or twenty thousand. To arrive on station in the Gulf, she still has a long way to go, including the passage of the Suez Canal.
Enterprise, CVN-65, meanwhile, called at Jebel Ali outside Dubai, from where she sailed on the 23rd. Since then, she was visited by the admiral commanding the 5th Fleet, who spoke in terms strongly suggesting the end of her deployment. Enterprise’s ship’s newspaper (pdf) is carrying TV listings including “Return to Homeport” – i.e. road safety warnings for the crew – as well as reporting on preparations for the ship’s INSURV (Inspection and Survey), a dockyard inspection carried out on her return home.
Kitty Hawk, CV-63 sailed from Yokosuka on the 17th of October, which she does every year (see link under “back log”). She is expected back in mid-December, having taken part in an annual exercise with the Japanese in the 7th Fleet area (i.e. off Japan, China and south-east Asia). The most recent location for her is given as off southern Japan.
As far as the amphibious ships go, the 7th Fleet’s Boxer is off southern India taking part in an exercise with the Indian Navy and will probably relieve the 5th Fleet’s Iwo Jima on station, the forward-deployed 7th Fleet ship Essex just finished one with the Philippines. USS Wasp‘s group is scheduled to sail for the Mediterranean early in 2007.
Eisenhower is already in the Red Sea.
Navy pages show Enterprise there also, presumably heading through the Suez to the Med, and home.
Sounds like Stennis will deploy this week.