Warning. This post shows the positions of the main naval groups or other individual units deemed relevant. This post is not exhaustive of all units present at sea at this time.
Yesterday we read the news about the return to the USA of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford (CVN-78) and its Carrier Strike Group (CSG). The USS Ford’s return marks the end of a period of over two years during which the Mediterranean has consistently hosted at least one US aircraft carrier.
We have attempted to provide a (very partial) overview of the naval situation in the Mediterranean following the news of the departure of the USS Ford.
NATO
The departure of the USS Ford does not leave the Mediterranean without aircraft carriers, although the ones remaining are significantly smaller and less powerful than the American carrier. The two Italian aircraft carriers, ITS Cavour (C550) and ITS Garibaldi (C551), are currently in Taranto. The French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle (R91) is in Toulon for repairs (which should be nearing completion). We do not have exact information about the location of the Spanish LHD Juan Carlos (L61), but it is also available.
It is worth noting that the total number of aircraft on board NATO carriers currently present in the Mediterranean is still lower than those on the USS Ford. Additionally, only the Charles de Gaulle is a traditional aircraft carrier, while all other units can only embark SVTOL aircraft.
We know that there are two naval assets of Operation IRINI: the frigates HS Aegean (F460) and ITS Grecale (F571), currently located in the central Mediterranean. The LHD USS Bataan (LHD-5) has entered the Mediterranean and is currently in the eastern part, where the NATO SNMG 2 is also located, consisting of the Greek frigate HS Nikiforaos Fokas (F466), the Spanish frigate SPS Mendez Nunez (F-104), and the Flag Ship Italian frigate ITS Carlo Bergamini (F590).
RUSSIA
The majority of Russian units are in the Syrian port of Tartus, except for the frigate Admiral Grigorovich and the spy ship Kildin.
The tug Sergey Blak and the submarine Ufa have arrived in Tartus, with their final destination being the Pacific Ocean (although they will likely stay in the Mediterranean for some time).
