USS Tripoli Deploys Marines to Middle East Amid Tensions

A U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship carrying Marines from a rapid-response unit departed Okinawa, Japan, on March 11 and is approaching the Malacca Strait off Singapore as it heads toward the Middle East amid escalating tensions in the region, maritime tracking data indicated Tuesday.

The USS Tripoli, based in Sasebo, Japan, was nearing Singapore at the southwestern edge of the South China Sea on Tuesday morning, traveling at about 22 miles per hour, according to Automatic Identification System data reviewed by journalists. The vessel, nearly 850 feet long and displacing 45,000 tons, functions as a small aircraft carrier capable of deploying F-35 stealth fighters, MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, and landing craft for troop movements ashore. It serves as the lead ship in an amphibious ready group, which typically includes support vessels such as the amphibious transport docks USS New Orleans and USS San Diego, though their presence alongside the Tripoli could not be confirmed through tracking sites.

Aboard the Tripoli are approximately 2,200 personnel from the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, a versatile force ordered to deploy by the Pentagon, according to...