XPost: rec.aviation.military, soc.history.war.misc   
   From: muratlanne@gmail.com   
      
   "a425couple"  wrote in message news:3g8pR.81759$8Wo8.51469@fx09.iad...   
      
   The USS Gerald R. Ford is not stationed near Iran; it is positioned off   
   the coast of Israel. Yet one critical question remains largely unasked: why.   
   As the most advanced and expensive vessel in the United States   
   Navy—costing over $13 billion, not including the aircraft and escort   
   fleet that support it —the Ford — the largest warship ever constructed ,   
   has taken station off Haifa.   
   Not in the Arabian Sea, where the USS Abraham Lincoln sits 850   
   kilometers from Iranian shores, poised for offensive operations. Not in   
   the Persian Gulf, where strike range would be optimal. Off Israel. In a   
   posture of defense.   
      
   -------------------------------   
      
   Logistics is a major driver for extended operations. The recent collision   
   shows the limitation and vulnerability of Underway Replenishment away from a   
   port. Considerable suction from propeller intake and Bernoulli effect   
   develops between the vessels, which have to main adequate maneuvering speed.   
   Titanic's slow passing unexpectedly sucked a moored ship free from the pier.   
   https://news.usni.org/2026/02/12/destroyer-uss-truxtun-oiler-usn   
   -supply-collide-in-southcom   
   https://titanic.fandom.com/wiki/SS_New_York   
      
   Reloading the VLS missile tubes at sea during a combat op is critical yet   
   very difficult and risky.   
   https://news.usni.org/2025/07/23/navy-refines-rearming-at-sea-in   
   east-coast-experiment   
      
   It's so much easier if the fleet can remain close to a port, especially a   
   distant one difficult for the enemy to observe and target. Until the enemy   
   air defense has been neutralized missiles are preferred to manned aircraft   
   over their territory. The Germans had only cruise and ballistic missiles   
   when strong defense made their bombing impossible. When we attack with   
   US-based heavy stealth bombers the Ford is positioned to provide stealth   
   escorts.   
      
   The sacrifice at Iwo Jima provided such a base for escorts, and a landing   
   field for cripples. The airfield is credited with saving at least 24,000   
   damaged bomber crew lives.   
   https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/how-the-battle-of-iwo-   
   ima-saved-american-lives/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)