The USS Ommaney Bay came under attack on January 4, 1945, when it was struck by a Japanese kamikaze pilot. Thursday's intercept was the second time the warship had shot down drones in eight days. The carrier and its armada left the East Coast in May. Wednesday's intercept was the second time in less than a month that a Navy warship has shot down a potential threat. The Navy has opened an investigation into the cause of Cmdr. Jonathan Volkle's death. A senior Democratic senator thinks too many major military mistakes go unpunished or are insufficiently investigated. The exercises involved more than 11,000 U.S. personnel who are on station there in case the Israel-Hamas war erupts into a larger conflict. Navy officials said the carrier's port call was planned in advance and not a response to recent maritime collisions between Beijing and Manila. Ike will be the first U.S. aircraft carrier to operate in the Middle Eastern waters of U.S. Central Command since the end of the Afghanistan war in 2021. The sea service continues to test the possibilities of placing mobile missile cells aboard littoral combat ships. Load More
