Eleventh report on the naval situation in the Mediterranean Sea

New (11th) report on the naval situation in the Mediterranean sea.

Warning. This post shows the positions of the main naval groups or other individual units deemed relevant. This post is not exhaustive of all units present at sea at this time.

NATO naval forces

NATO currently has 3 aircraft carriers available in the central/eastern Mediterranean:

1) The USNavy aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) and her Combat Strike Group is now sailing in the southern Adriatic Sea

2) Italian aircraft carrier Garibaldi (C551) is in Taranto naval base

3) Italian aircraft carrier Cavour (C550) is participating in an exercise in the Tyrrhenian Sea together with other Italian naval units

4) The Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 is participating in Exercise DynamicMariner/Mavi Balina-22

4) The Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group Two (SNMCMG2) is participating in Exercise DynamicMariner/Mavi Balina-22 too

5) the French Navy aviso (F797) began operating together with ITS Grecale (F 571)  and HS Themistokles (F465) participating in IRINI operation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea 

6) ITS VIRGINIO FASAN (F 591), after 91 days, ends her participation in Operation Atalanta to return to the La Spezia base.

RUSSIAN Naval Forces

1) A Russian Navy operation is currently underway in the central Mediterranean, probably to follow the movements of the USS Bush. However, we do not know exactly which units are deployed. We do not know what other units may be in the area, but destroyer Admiral Tributs and frigate Admiral Kasatonov are not in port at Tartus. One or both of these units may have been refuelled by the RFS tanker Akademik Pashin in the Ionian Sea.

2) the Russian Navy tug “Sergey Balk”, departed from Tartus, is underway south of Crete westbound

4) The Slava-class Varyag cruiser (the only cruiser left in the Mediterranean after the departure of the Ustinov) is off Tartus

5) the presence in the central/eastern Mediterranean of a Russian nuclear submarine is reported (Akula class, or Sierra-I/II or Victor-III classes)

6) The rest of the units are in port in or around Tartus