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The battle group from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, deployed to the eastern Mediterranean following the Oct. 7 invasion of Israel by Hamas-led terrorists, will return to its home base in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. military officials said Monday.
The strike group includes the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, eight squadrons of attack and support aircraft, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy, and the missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney and USS Roosevelt.
U.S. 6th Fleet officials said the fleet will move to its home port in the coming days as planned, where it will prepare for future deployments.
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Officials added that the Defense Department will continue to assess the posture of forces worldwide and maintain a comprehensive presence in the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
US Navy moves warships and planes closer to Israel in Hamas war
The American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is seen from the air, anchored in the Gulf of Trieste in Italy. The USS Gerald R. Ford is the largest warship in the world. (Andrej Tarfila/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Ships that will remain in the region include the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, additional cruisers and destroyers in the Middle East and the Mediterranean, and the recent arrival of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and the Harpers Ferry dock landing ship -class USS Carter Hall in the Eastern Mediterranean.
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The Bataan and Carter Hall will join the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), grouped in the region as the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG).
Officials said the ARG consists of three ships and about 2,000 Marines.
Hamas leaders lived like wealthy celebrities under the reign of terror in pre-October 13 Gaza. 7 MASSACRES
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STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR – JUNE 13: In this U.S. Navy handout, the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) transits the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean on June 13, 2016. (Michael R. Gendron/US Navy via Getty Images)
The Ford was deployed in the eastern Mediterranean to be within striking distance of Israel after the Hamas attacks on October 7th.
The carrier remained in the Mediterranean while its escort ships sailed into the Red Sea, repeatedly intercepting incoming ballistic missiles and attack drones fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The aircraft carriers Ford and Eisenhower were both in the region amid fears that the conflict between Israel and Hamas would spread.
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Houthi attacks on the Red Sea “will likely continue,” the US Navy says
FILE – The USS Gerald R. Ford, one of the world's largest aircraft carriers, arrives in Halifax on October 28, 2022. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
The military presence will remain in the region as Houthi rebels continue to carry out attacks.
On Saturday, the US military shot down two anti-ship missiles fired at a Maersk container ship in the Red Sea after the ship was hit by a missile. According to U.S. Central Command, two Navy destroyers responded to the call for help. The Danish ship was seaworthy and no injuries were reported.
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Hours later, four Houthi boats fired on the same ship and attempted to board it. U.S. forces responded to the distress call with two helicopters and also came under fire before sinking three of the Houthi ships, killing the crews. The fourth boat fled the area. No damage to U.S. personnel or equipment was reported.
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The attacks on merchant ships have led some companies to suspend sailings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Gulf of Aden to the southern Red Sea and then the Suez Canal.
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Bradford Betz of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.