In this file photo, ships and submarines participating in the U.S. 3rd Fleet-coordinated Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise sail in formation in the waters around the Hawaiian islands, July 27, 2012. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Keith Devinney)
San Diego Union Tribune: Navy's Third Fleet splashes through the South China Sea
When the Navy’s supercarrier Carl Vinson slipped out of San Diego nearly two months ago and steamed toward Hawaii, it marked the first time since World War II that the Third Fleet prowled the Pacific Ocean under its own command.
Now sharing the eastern stretches of the Pacific with the Navy’s Japan-based Seventh Fleet, Carrier Strike Group One was bisecting the South China Sea Thursday morning, steaming between the Philippines and China.
And so far the “Third Fleet Forward” experiment is going great, according to the group’s commander at sea, Rear Adm. James Kilby.
“The Third Fleet Forward concept is working really well,” said Kilby during a telephone interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune, the whoosh of jets catapulting off the Vinson’s flight deck above him.
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Update: US Navy’s Third Fleet Sends a Message in the South China Sea (Sputnik)
WNU Editor: Some are wondering if the U.S. Navy is being outmanoeuvred by the Chinese Navy .... Is Beijing outflanking the United States in the South China Sea? (Peter Apps, Reuters). More here .... Beijing Outmaneuvering US Navy in South China Sea (Sputnik)
