The USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara, US Navy ships specializing in mine countermeasures operations, were spotted at a port in Malaysia and were originally scheduled to be deployed to operations in the Middle East.
The ships were dispatched to Bahrain to replace older Avenger-class minesweepers. Their appearance in Southeast Asia comes amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, where attacks linked to Iran have disrupted much of commercial maritime traffic.
These ships belong to the Independence class and operate specialized mine warfare modules, including towed sonar, CUSV surface drones, and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters capable of detecting and defusing maritime explosives. These systems were introduced to gradually replace the existing Avenger-class ships, which used reinforced wooden hulls to reduce magnetic signature and lower the risk of mine explosions.
When these ships left Bahrain, it was before the joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran began in late February. Authorities judged it prudent to withdraw warships from the port of Manama because the area was within range of Iranian missiles and drones. But experts are questioning why these ships were moved to such a remote area, which could undermine their ability to respond to possible mine threats in the Gulf region.
These concerns are valid; Iran has used sea mines in the past, and there have been recent reports of attempts to plant mines in shipping lanes near the Strait of Hormuz. As the United States considers escorting merchant ships in the coming weeks, the absence of some minesweeping assets could make it difficult to fully reopen this strategic maritime trade route.
source: The War Zone | Photo: X @USNavy | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by our editorial team
The two U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ships, USS Tulsa (LCS-16) and USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32), which had been deployed to the Middle East for mine countermeasures operations are now docked at the North Butterworth Container Terminal in Penang, Malaysia.
Their redeployment leaves… pic.twitter.com/yWGplEGt5x
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