- The US Navy appears to be sending a message to Iran in the form of a guided-missile submarine equipped with tremendous firepower and possibly special operations troops.
- The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia sailed into the Persian Gulf on Monday, and the Navy made sure everyone knew it.
- For the first time in eight years, the Navy announced the presence of a guided-missile submarine in the Persian Gulf. The statement included pictures and emphasised the submarine’s firepower.
The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia sailed through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf on Monday, and the US Navy took the very unusual step of making sure everyone knows it is there.
The submarine was accompanied by the guided-missile cruisers USS Port Royal and USS Philippine Sea, the Navy said in a statement which included several photos.
Monday’s statement on USS Georgia’s activities marks the first time since 2012 that the Navy has announced the presence of a guided-missile submarine in the Persian Gulf. The statement emphasised the submarine’s firepower.
Missile submarines like USS Georgia are armed with more conventional combat firepower than any other comparable naval vessel. These submarines carry 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles (TLAMs), subsonic missiles used for long-range strikes deep within enemy territory.
These submarines have 22 missile tubes with seven TLAMs in each one, and each missile has a range of about 1,000 miles, giving these boats a pretty substantial combat radius. The cruisers that sailed with USS Georgia carry a lot of firepower as well.
Read the article by Ryan Pickrell in Business Insider Australia.