NAPLES, Italy — On December 28, 2023, the USS Bataan (LHD 5) and the USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), moved from the Red Sea to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. They are set to join forces with the USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19).
The Naval Forces Europe/Africa statement highlighted that the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) of the Marine Corps initially deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area to counter potential threats to commercial ships by Iranian forces. Following the Hamas attacks in Southern Israel on Oct. 7, the unit’s role expanded to be part of the U.S. Navy’s presence force in the Red Sea.
The ships and Marines have been deployed overseas for at least five months.