tracker

Here’s TWZ’s weekly carrier tracker monitoring America’s flattop fleet, including deployed Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG), using publicly available open-source information.

The Gerald R. Ford CSG transited the Suez Canal southbound on April 16, the Associated Press reported on Friday, once again entering the Red Sea and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR). The second CSG in the region, led by USS Abraham Lincoln, is operating in the northern Arabian Sea, enforcing the naval blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas. The George H.W. Bush CSG is reportedly transiting around the Horn of Africa en route to the Middle East, according to USNI News, but TWZ has been unable to independently confirm via open sources. Following the arrival of USS George H.W. Bush, the U.S. will have three carriers positioned in the Middle East should the ceasefire fail and combat operations resume.

The Tripoli ARG is also supporting blockade measures, with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) boarding and seizing Iranian-flagged M/V Touska on April 19 after USS Spruance fired multiple 5-inch rounds, targeting the engine room and disabling the vessel’s propulsion. “American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade. After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room.” The second ARG-MEU tasked to CENTCOM, the Boxer ARG-11th MEU, is currently transiting through U.S. Indo-Pacific Command at an undisclosed location.

At a press conference on Thursday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine and CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper provided a detailed briefing on the opening hours of the blockade, which TWZ covered here, and shared unclassified slides of ship positions before and after implementation. Below is an animation visualizing the first 48 hours of the U.S. blockade, and confirmed Navy ships operating in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean at the time.

“Since the blockade’s commencement, U.S. forces have directed 25 commercial vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port,” CENTCOM said in the release. “In addition to this blockade, the joint force, through operations and activities in other areas of responsibility, like the Pacific Area of Responsibility, under the command of Admiral Paparo, will actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran,” Gen. Caine added.

Back stateside, the Theodore Roosevelt CSG departed San Diego on April 15, according to local ship spotters. A U.S. 3rd Fleet spokesperson told TWZ the CSG is underway conducting routine operations and integrated training in the 3rd Fleet AOR and “remains ready to respond to crisis or contingency at any time.” Elements of the group were recently outfitted with a new Raytheon Coyote counter-UAS 8-cell launcher, which could be tested during upcoming training periods.

Note: Positions are general approximations. Non-deployed LHA/LHD amphibious warships are not shown.

Contact the author: ian.ellis-jones@teamrecurrent.io

Here’s TWZ’s weekly carrier tracker monitoring America’s flattop fleet, including deployed Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG), using publicly available open-source information.

President Trump declared this morning on Truth Social that the U.S. Navy “will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” which follows U.S. Central Command’s announcement yesterday that U.S. forces executed a mine clearance mission and asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait. “Additional U.S. forces, including underwater drones, will join the clearance effort in the coming days,” the release concluded. It isn’t clear exactly what the destroyers did near the Strait or the details of their attempted transit.

Additional warships have arrived in Europe and the Middle East over the last week, and more are en route, as the U.S. takes advantage of the ceasefire to rearm, resupply, and reposition key assets across theaters. The first elements of the George H.W. Bush CSG transited the Strait of Gibraltar in early April, and the flagship with at least three escorts is expected to follow in the near term. The Gerald R. Ford CSG is on station in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, most recently conducting operations southwest of Cyprus, satellite imagery shows. The Boxer ARG, embarked with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), departed Pearl Harbor and is transiting the Pacific Ocean westbound toward the Middle East, where the Tripoli ARG-31st MEU is currently operating.

For the latest on the status of the ceasefire and negotiations, follow our rolling coverage here and be sure to check TWZ.com daily for live updates.

Note: Positions are general approximations. Non-deployed LHA/LHD amphibious warships are not shown.

Contact the author: ian.ellis-jones@teamrecurrent.io

Introducing TWZ’s weekly carrier tracker monitoring America’s flattop fleet, including deployed Carrier Strike Groups and Amphibious Ready Groups, using publicly available open-source information.

Three U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) have deployed in support of Operation Epic Fury, as two Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG), with Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU) embarked, converge on the Middle East. The George H.W. Bush CSG is the latest to join the fray, departing Naval Station Norfolk on March 31 for a regularly scheduled deployment, reportedly to U.S. Central Command. Bush is set to relieve the Gerald R. Ford CSG, which has been deployed for more than nine months and departed the Port of Split, Croatia, on April 2 following a five-day port call. The Abraham Lincoln CSG is operating from an undisclosed location in the Arabian Sea and conducting nonstop combat operations against Iran. The Tripoli ARG and 31st MEU arrived in CENTCOM last week, and the Boxer ARG and 11th MEU are transiting the Pacific en route to the Middle East.

Read our recent report about the perfect storm involving three U.S. Navy aircraft carriers that highlights the strain on the fleet amid an ongoing war in the Middle East and tensions in Asia.

Note: Positions are general approximations.

Contact the author: ian.ellis-jones@teamrecurrent.io