USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Jan. 16, 2024

These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Jan. 16, 2024, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.

Ships Underway

In Japan

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is in port Yokosuka. USS America (LHA-6) is in Sasebo.

In the East China Sea

USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 1, with Carrier Air Wing 2 embarked, USS Princeton (CG-59), USS Kidd (DDG-100) and USS Sterett (DDG-104) departed the South China Sea via the Bashi Channel after a port visit to Manilla and is operating with Japanese naval vessels in the East China Sea.

Vinson is using older C-2A Greyhounds flying out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, as a temporary carrier-onboard delivery vehicle while the CMV-22B fleet is grounded following the November crash of an Air Force MV-22B off the coast of Japan.

Carrier Strike Group 1

Carrier

USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), homeported at San Diego, Calif.

Carrier Air Wing 2

• The “Bounty Hunters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
• The “Stingers” of VFA 113 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
• The “Warhawks” of VFA 97 – F-35C – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
• The “Golden Dragons” of VFA 192 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
• The “Gauntlets” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
• The “Black Eagles” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 113 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
• The “Titans” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30 – CMV-22B – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
• The “Blue Hawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 78 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island.
• The “Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.

Cruiser

USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) aircraft carrier, USS Princeton (CG 59) Ticonderoga-class cruiser and USS Kidd (DDG 100)/USS Sterett (DDG 104) Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided missile destroyers in Manila, Philippines – January 8, 2024

SRC: FB- MaxDefense Philippines pic.twitter.com/yx1Ntvd8zo

— WarshipCam (@WarshipCam) January 9, 2024

USS Princeton (CG-59), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.

Destroyer Squadron 1

Destroyer Squadron 1 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Carl Vinson.

• USS Hopper (DDG-70), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
• USS Kidd (DDG-100), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
• USS Sterett (DDG-104), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
• USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor.

In the Western Pacific

Hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) is in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, for its next mission stop of Pacific Partnership 24-1, the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific region.

In the Western Atlantic

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is expected to return to its homeport of Norfolk, Va., this week after completing an extended deployment in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Secretary of Navy Carlos Del Toro visited Gerald R. Ford yesterday. Six months into the first-ever overseas deployment of the carrier, the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group was extended 76 days after it was directed to the Mediterranean Sea after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel. It was subsequently extended twice more.

Carrier Strike Group 12

Carrier

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), homeported at Norfolk, Va.

Carrier Air Wing 8

• The “Ragin’ Bulls” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 37 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
• The “Blacklions” of VFA 213 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Golden Warriors” of VFA 87 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Tomcatters” of VFA 31 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Gray Wolves” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
• The “Bear Aces” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 124 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
• The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
• The “Spartans” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 70 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
• The “Tridents” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.

Cruiser

USS Normandy (CG-60), homeported at Norfolk, Va.

Destroyer Squadron 2

Destroyer Squadron 2 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Ford. Due to the length of the deployment, the destroyers assigned to the strike group have changed since the initial deployment.

• USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), homeported at Naval Station Rota, Spain.
• USS Bulkeley (DDG-84), homeported at Rota.
• USS Ramage (DDG-61), returned to its Norfolk homeport.
• USS McFaul (DDG-74), returned to its Norfolk homeport.
• USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), returned to its Mayport, Fla., homeport.

In the Eastern Mediterranean

USS Bataan (LHD-5) and USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) pulled into Piraeus, Greece, on Thursday for a scheduled port visit.

U.S. Marines and Sailors with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit are joining in the exercise “Odyssey Encore,” in the vicinity of Volos, Greece, through Jan. 17. The two-week-long exercise focuses on advanced skills and operations capabilities Marines to need to be able to respond to crises in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. This is the first exercise for the 26th MEU since the Bataan ARG reaggregated on Dec. 28.

Among many missions Marines are trained in is evacuating civilians from conflict zones. USNI News visited the unit in April during a noncombatant evacuation operation in North Carolina.

Embarked units include Amphibious Squadron 8, 26th MEU (SOC), Fleet Surgical Team 8, Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, Assault Craft Unit 2, Assault Craft Unit 4 and Beach Master Unit 2. The 26th MEU (SOC), based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., includes Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marines; Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 22.

In the Gulf of Aden

A Houthi-launched anti-ship ballistic missile struck a U.S.-owned container ship Monday in the Gulf of Aden, U.S. Central Command said.

The Houthis launched the ballistic missile at M/V Gibraltar Eagle. The ship did not report any damage or injuries from the Houthi missile, according to the Central Command release.

Starting on Oct. 17, the Houthi’s said they would attack any ship with affiliations with Israel. Senior Houthi official Nasr al-Din Amer told BBC that it will now attack any American-affiliated ship.

U.S. fighter aircraft shot down an anti-ship cruise missile the Houthis fired toward USS Laboon (DDG-58), U.S. Central Command announced Sunday night.

Central Command’s release did not specify the aircraft that shot down the missile or the military branch. The fighter aircraft shot down the missile off the coast of Al-Hudaydah, according to the release.

There were no reports of damage or injury following the strike.

USS Carney (DDG-64) launched a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile against a Houthi radar site in Yemen at 3:45 a.m. local time Saturday, U.S. Central Command announced in a Friday night release.

While U.S. ships like Carney are currently part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, the strikes are separate from the defensive coalition.

On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command released details on an interdiction operation in the Gulf of Aden in which two Navy SEALs went missing.

On Jan. 11, a SEAL team operating from the expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3) boarded a dhow off the coast of Somalia and discovered weapons parts, reads the statement.

“Seized items include propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), as well as air defense associated components. Initial analysis indicates these same weapons have been employed by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent mariners on international merchant ships transiting in the Red Sea,” reads the statement.
“This is the first seizure of lethal, Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons (ACW) to the Houthis since the beginning of Houthi attacks against merchant ships in November 2023. The interdiction also constitutes the first seizure of advanced Iranian-manufactured ballistic missile and cruise missile components by the U.S. Navy since November 2019.”

In the Red Sea

As of Tuesday, the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group was operating off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.

Carrier Air Wing 3 from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), USS Gravely (DDG-107), USS Mason (DDG-87) and USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) were involved in Thursday’s strike on Houthi targets in Yemen, a senior defense official told reporters Friday.

An Ohio-class guided-missile submarine. USNI News understands the submarine was USS Florida (SSGN-728) which entered the Red Sea in November.

A senior U.S. official told Military.com that 22 fixed-wing aircraft were involved in the strikes, with more than 80 Tomahawk missiles launched.

The United Nations Security Council on Jan. 10 approved a resolution calling on Yemen’s Houthi rebel group to “cease its brazen” attacks in the Red Sea, as the United States and Britain hinted at military strikes.

Ike deployed on Oct. 14, while several of the carrier’s escorts left on Oct. 13. The carrier transited the Strait of Gibraltar on Oct. 28 and transited the Suez Canal on Nov. 4.

The Pentagon, on Dec. 18, announced an initiative to protect commercial traffic in the region after almost two months of attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea by forces in Yemen.

Operation Prosperity Guardian is a multinational push to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden under the structure of the existing Combined Task Force 153.

Carrier Strike Group 2

Carrier

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), homeported at Norfolk, Va.

Carrier Air Wing 3

• The “Gunslingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
• The “Fighting Swordsmen” of VFA 32 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Rampagers” of VFA 83 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Wildcats” of VFA 131 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Zappers” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
• The “Screwtops” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 123 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
• The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
• The “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
• The “Dusty Dogs” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 – MH-60S – from Naval Station Norfolk.

Cruiser

USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.

Destroyer Squadron 22

Destroyer Squadron 22 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Eisenhower.

• USS Gravely (DDG-107), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
• USS Mason (DDG-87), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.

In the Persian Gulf

U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships with U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East. Initially deployed in 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA is now a permanent presence based out of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

In the South Pacific

USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) is at McMurdo Station in Antarctica supporting Operation Deep Freeze. Last week, U.S. Coast Guard divers from Regional Dive Lockers West, East and Pacific made waves by initiating the first dive operations of the year aboard the Polar Star within the icy embrace of McMurdo Sound.

In the Eastern Pacific

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) deployed this week from San Diego, Calif., with a detachment of C-2A Greyhounds from the East Coast filling in for the grounded CV-22B Ospreys, USNI News has learned. TR and its escorts will follow the Vinson Carrier Strike Group, which deployed to the Western Pacific in October. As of Thursday, Vinson was in the Philippine Sea.

Carrier Strike Group 9

Carrier

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), homeported at San Diego, Calif.

Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, based in Lemoore, CA, is embarked aboard Theodore Roosevelt and includes a total of nine squadrons and detachments.

• The “Fist of the Fleet” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
• The “Black Knights” of VFA 154 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
• The “Blue Blasters” of VFA 34 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana Virginia Beach, Va.
• The “Flying Checkmates” of VFA 211 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana Virginia Beach
• The “Rooks” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
• The “Liberty Bells” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 115 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
• The “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Station, Norfolk, Va.
• The “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
• The “Eightballers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.

Cruiser

USS Lake Erie (CG-70), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.

Destroyer Squadron 23 

Destroyer Squadron 23 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Theodore Roosevelt.

• USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
• USS Halsey (DDG-97), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
• USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The amphibious warship USS Boxer (LHD-4) was spotted heading outbound from San Diego, Calif., on Jan 3, according to ship spotters.

In addition to these major formations, not shown are others serving in submarines, individual surface ships, aircraft squadrons, SEALs, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, Seabees, EOD Mobile Units and more serving throughout the globe.