U.S. Deploys 2nd Aircraft Carrier to Gulf .
Associated PressDUBAI—The U.S. Navy said Monday it has deployed a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf
region amid rising tensions with Iran over its nuclear program.
strike group marks only the fourth time in the past decade that the Navy has had two aircraft
carriers operating at the same time in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, said Cmdr. Amy
Derrick-Frost of the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet.
The two carriers will support the American military operations in Afghanistan and antipiracy efforts off Somalia's coast and in the Gulf of Aden, Cmdr. Derrick-Frost said.
The warships also patrol the Gulf's strategic oil routes that Iran has threatened to shut down
in retaliation for economic sanctions.
The deployment of the second aircraft carrier is "routine and not specific to any threat," Cmdr.
Derrick-Frost added. She didn't say how long the Navy will keep the increased military presence
in region.
It was in June 2010 that the U.S. last had two carriers operating in the region. Before then,
the carriers were deployed in March 2003 during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and in February
2007 in support of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Enterprise is based in Norfolk, Va. It is the Navy's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
that is now on its last mission.
The Enterprise was commissioned in November 1961. The carrier is scheduled to be deactivated
this fall.
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