Overview
- USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara were photographed docked at Penang’s North Butterworth Container Terminal on Sunday, roughly 3,500 miles from their Bahrain base.
- USNI News reports the pair were on a logistics stop, and Malaysia’s navy had not announced their arrival.
- The two ships, together with USS Canberra, carry the Fifth Fleet’s mine-countermeasure mission packages that replaced four Avenger-class vessels last year; Canberra’s current location is unclear after a mid-January Arabian Gulf report.
- U.S. officials say missiles are currently the primary threat to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, though the DIA estimates Iran holds more than 5,000 naval mines and the U.S. recently destroyed 16 minelaying boats.
- Traffic through the strait has slowed sharply with at least 20 merchant vessels hit by projectiles, and Washington has urged allies to contribute mine-clearance support as some partners weigh limited assistance.