US Carrier Strike Group Reaches Phuket After Middle East Operations

The USS George H.W. Bush, a Nimitz-class carrier, and guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black arrived off Phuket on October 4. The ships are expected to remain through October 9. Crew are to come ashore through Phuket Deep Sea Port for rest and sightseeing. The carrier had been operating in the Arabian Sea supporting U.S. Middle East operations, including during the conflict with Iran. Thai authorities and U.S. Navy personnel coordinated transport, security and traffic arrangements. The stop follows the USS Abraham Lincoln's five-day port call at Laem Chabang about a month earlier, with around 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard. A local mayor estimated during that visit that each U.S. service member could spend up to 3,000 baht ($89) a day. Thailand is the United States' only treaty ally in mainland Southeast Asia. CONTESTED: Independent Journal Review cites about 5,100 U.S. personnel; inkl, The Times of India and Gulf News put the figure at about 4,800. No other contested claims found in the record.