Essex Amphibious Ready Group Leaves 5th Fleet; No U.S. Capital Ship in Middle East
By: Sam LaGrone
January 10, 2022 5:46 PM
The three-ship Essex Amphibious Ready Group and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit left the Middle East last week after operating in the region since late September, according to USNI News’s Fleet and Marine Tracker.
USS Essex (LHD-2), USS Portland (LPD-27), and amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52) are now operating in the Indian Ocean after four months in U.S Central Command.
The ARG was steaming with USS O’Kane (DDG-77) in the Indian Ocean with Essex on Jan. 9, according to a Navy photo.
With the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group operating in the Mediterranean Sea, it’s the first time the U.S. has not had a carrier strike group or ARG in U.S. 5th Fleet since late November 2020, according to the Fleet Tracker.
https://news.usni.org/2022/01/10/essex-amphibious-ready-group-leaves-5th-fleet-no-u-s-capital-ship-in-middle-east
