May 23, 200719 yr Navy launches show of force off Iran coast By Barbara Surk - The Associated Press Posted : Wednesday May 23, 2007 9:12:42 EDT DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Navy staged its latest show of military force off the Iranian coast Wednesday, sending two aircraft carriers and landing ships packed with 17,000 Marines and sailors to carry out unannounced exercises in the Persian Gulf. The strike groups led by the carriers John C. Stennis and Nimitz were joined by the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard and its own strike group, which includes landing ships carrying members of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The Navy said nine U.S. warships passed through the narrow Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. Aircraft aboard the three carriers and the Bonhomme Richard were to conduct air training while the ships ran submarine, mine and other exercises. The maneuvers came just two months after a previous exercise in March when two U.S. carrier groups carried out two days of air and sea maneuvers off the Iranian coast. Before the arrival of the Bonhomme Richard strike group, the Navy maintained around 20,000 U.S personnel at sea in the Gulf and neighboring waters. Merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz carry two-fifths of the world’s oil exports. U.S. warships have frequently collided with merchant ships in the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf. Find article here.
May 23, 200719 yr Author Merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz carry two-fifths of the world’s oil exports. U.S. warships have frequently collided with merchant ships in the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf. Frequently?
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