Boatfag SITREP

News Summaries:

>1st item no sauce; apologies frens, saw it while phonefaggin’ 1st thing this AM and didn’t snag it, did see the headline though

Carrier Eisenhower recovers airwing in 5th Fleet Area of Operations (Petrol Gulf included, 5th Fleet HQ is in Bahrain)

This one is from April 15, but:

IRGC vessels harass US Navy and CG vessels in the Gulf

https://www.rt.com/news/485935-us-navy-irgc-persian-gulf/

Pay special attention to the video here – the video shows a Mobile Expeditionary Base as part of the deployed US vessels

Also interesting:

US Navy conducting mine countermeasures exercises in the Gulf (May 10)

US conducted live-fire exercises with AH-64’s operating from an MEB (April 16-19)

https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/NEWS-ARTICLES/Year/2020/

On The Scope:

Petroleum Gulf Area only this AM

Caps show a cluster of IR vessels heading SW inside the Gulf, apparently in transit to the Iranian-held island of Abu Musa (not shown in cap due to scale). What is dasting about this is that most of these IR vessels are landing craft. They are currently in transit through the main shipping lanes which they have to sail through in order to get to Abu Musa island.

For those of you who remember the late 1980’s, the IRGC uses Ajr/Hejas class landing craft as minelayers. In 1987, the Iran Ajr was caught laying mines in the Gulf, shot up by US AH-64’s. SEALS then boarded her, captured the survivors and scuttled that scow.

Other cap shows another IR landing craft well south of Iranian waters, very close to Kuwait. Could be commerce, could be something else. Will keep an eye out.

No sign of US vessels in the area. Did a sweep for the USS Lewis B Puller (it’s the MEB assigned to 5th Fleet) and while it doesn’t appear on the scan, vessel data shows it in port. Usually it shows up when it's actually in port.