Satellite images analyzed by Al Jazeera's open source unit revealed that the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln withdrew from the Gulf of Oman to the Arabian Sea.
A comparison of images taken between June 22 and July 5 shows that the ship moved from a position about 140 kilometers from Iran's Chabahar Port, traveling approximately 207 kilometers south in two weeks, and deployed in the Arabian Sea, 104 kilometers east of the coast of Oman.
Photos taken yesterday by the European Sentinel-2 satellite showed that an Arleigh Burke-class US guided-missile destroyer was also near the aircraft carrier.
This movement coincided with the period when the US 5th Fleet announced on Wednesday that a sailor had gone missing. According to the statement, three people were injured and one sailor went missing after an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter made a hard landing in the Arabian Sea. The Navy reported no indication of hostile action.
The 5th Fleet announced today that the intensive search and rescue operation, which lasted over 102 hours and covered 14,000 square miles, has ended. Multiple units from the US Navy and Air Force took part in the operation.
Abraham Lincoln's specifications
The aircraft carrier, 333 meters long and 77 meters wide, weighs more than 104,000 tons. Powered by two nuclear reactors, the ship can reach speeds of 56 kilometers per hour without refueling for 20 years. Its 18,900-square-meter flight deck can accommodate 90 aircraft. The ship has a total crew of 5,680, including 3,200 Navy personnel and 2,480 Air Force personnel. The Abraham Lincoln is equipped with advanced radar systems and defense platforms against anti-ship missiles.
