Navy reshuffles its warships in Mediterranean

ON BOARD THE USS BATAAN — When attacks with missiles and drones surged in the Red Sea late last year, crew members of the USS Bataan worked round the clock to make sure they were shot down before reaching passing merchant vessels.

Weeks later, they are still perfecting that operation in training and simulations, with a dozen other scenarios, despite moving north to the Mediterranean where commercial marine traffic is at little risk.

The U.S. Navy is reshuffling its warship deployment in the Middle East to maintain dominance in the region — now eyeing the longer haul as concerns mount that Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza could set off a regional conflict.

An amphibious warship, the Bataan is a multi-deck assault vessel jammed full of armored vehicles and military hardware with a lower bay that can take on water to release landing craft directly into the sea.

The ship is now leading the United States’ task force in the eastern Mediterranean, following the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, which was sent home at the New Year.

The Bataan and two support ships, the USS Mesa Verde and USS Carter Hall, have a combined force of nearly 2,500 Marines and sailors.

Marine Lt. Col. Jeremy Hawkins, a senior planner on the task force, says the makeup of the multi-role naval force is ideal for the complex nature of the conflict and for related regional sources of tension.

“We’re able to operate really autonomously in international waters and airspace. And so it gives us a lot of freedom of operations,” he said. “We’re floating on a piece of America, wherever we’re at.”