USS Tripoli Singapore was tracked approaching the Malacca Strait off Singapore, according to AIS tracking data seen by CNN that showed the amphibious assault ship nearing the busy waterway.
Marinetraffic.com showed a track for an unspecified US warship departing Okinawa on March 11 and transiting the South China Sea at about 22 miles per hour, the tracking data indicated.
The ship is believed to be carrying Marines and sailors bound for the Middle East after the Pentagon ordered elements of the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to deploy, three officials familiar with the plans told reporters.
The Wall Street Journal reported the Tripoli would ferry additional Marines to the region, and officials told CNN the unit was being sent without disclosing exact deployment locations or missions.
Ship Capabilities And Regional Context
The Tripoli is based in Sasebo, Japan, and measures almost 850 feet long, displacing 45,000 tons, CNN reporting described the vessel as a small aircraft carrier with aviation and landing capabilities.
The ship carries F-35 stealth fighters, MV-22 Osprey transports and landing craft to move troops ashore, and it serves as the lead ship in an amphibious ready group that would normally include USS New Orleans and USS San Diego.
CNN noted it could not confirm the presence of those smaller ships with the Tripoli on maritime tracking sites, and US Navy ships often transit with AIS transponders turned off, though they sometimes reveal positions in busy waters to enable safer operations.
US Central Command has said roughly 50,000 US troops are already in the Middle East as part of the war with Iran, a broader force posture that officials did not link directly to this specific movement.
CNN has asked the US Navy’s 7th Fleet and 5th Fleet for comment, and reporting remains focused on the vessel’s transit and the Pentagon order to deploy the 31st MEU, which typically comprises command, ground combat, air combat and logistics elements.
