Shadowing USS Ford in the Adriatic sea

Interesting discovery from the Twitter account @MT_Anderson. On October 1, the USS Gerald Ford Carrier Strike Group was sailing in the southern Adriatic Sea, a usual operating area.

The CSG was composed, in addition to the USS Ford, of at least 2 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and 1 Ticonderoga-class cruiser.

What is interesting is that a Russian Navy spy ship, the Kildin, was sailing about 11 km away. The Kildin is a Russian spy ship that is equipped with electronic warfare and intelligence gathering capabilities.

🇺🇸CARRIER STRIKE GROUP 12🇺🇸 + 🇷🇺SHADOW
Spotted 76 KM NE of 🇮🇹Bari (1 Oct 2023). CVN-78, 2x Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers, 1x Ticonderoga Class Cruiser & 11 KM NE of that could be 🇷🇺Moma Class Intelligence Ship Kildin (last seen in Tartus on 13 Sep)

h/t @d_viekass pic.twitter.com/HEztsE8oLE

— MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) October 2, 2023

The unit, which entered the Mediterranean in September, has been absent from Tartus, Syria, at least since September 13, and could therefore have been in the Adriatic to closely monitor the US ships.

Yesterday, we tracked a surveillance mission by an Italian Air Force ATR P-72A (reg. MM62279), which could have also monitored the situation while the CSG moved to the Ionian Sea, where it is located today.

No other Russian military units are reported to be in the area.