Media: US aircraft carrier rerouted around Africa amid blockade

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) is operating off the coast of Namibia as it sails around Africa to join a growing U.S. naval presence in the Arabian Sea, according to defence officials.

U.S. officials told USNI News that a strike group opted to bypass the usual route through the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea, instead taking a longer path around the African continent. The alternative route avoids the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where Yemen’s Houthi forces have carried out drone and missile attacks on U.S. and commercial vessels in recent years.

The carrier, which deployed in late March, is accompanied by guided-missile destroyers USS Donald Cook (DDG-75), USS Mason (DDG-87) and USS Ross (DDG-71), as well as the replenishment ship USNS Arctic (TAOE-8).

The redeployment comes as Washington increases its military presence in the region following the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on April 12.

By Sabina Mammadli