USS George H.W. Bush Pulls Into Phuket for Long-Awaited Shore Leave

The carrier USS George H.W. Bush has arrived at the port of Phuket, Thailand for a one-week R&R call, ending a six-month voyage at sea.

Analyst Tom Bike spotted her movements off the coast of Sumatra on Oct. 3, and she was photographed pulling into port at Phuket with tug assistance on October 4. She has about 4,800 crewmembers aboard, not counting the additional personnel aboard the escorts in her strike group.

The last carrier to call in Thailand, USS Abraham Lincoln, went to the more frequently-used port of Laem Chabang, a few miles away from the traditional R&R destination of Pattaya. Phuket has similar attractions as a well-known resort town, plus convenient Indian Ocean access for Mideast naval operations.

USS George H.W. Bush's departure from the Arabian Sea leaves only one carrier operating within reach of Iran, the USS George Washington. The USS Theodore Roosevelt and her strike group are under way in the Pacific, likely bound for the Mideast to augment or provide relief for Washington.

Bush's departure is also part of a broader perceived drawdown in the U.S. presence. Most of the 12-strong force of B-1B bombers staged at RAF Fairford in the UK - a jumping-off point for long-range strikes over Iran - flew home to the continental U.S. over the weekend, reducing the U.S. Air Force's ability to conduct short-notice heavy bombardment in the Mideast.

A small gang of UK nationals mounted what local authorities believe to have been an attempted terrorist strike on RAF Fairford - and potentially the U.S. bomber force - on September 27. A British-Iranian dual national was detained in connection with that incident last week. All of the suspects have been released pending further investigation.