The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush has sailed out of the Middle East combat zone and arrived in Phuket, Thailand, marking the warship's first port visit since deploying in March 2026. The Navy's 7th Fleet confirmed the Nimitz-class carrier and the guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black arrived Sunday for a scheduled stop. Thai media reported the visit is expected to run through Oct. 9.
Neither U.S. Central Command nor the Navy's 5th Fleet publicly announced the carrier's departure from the theater, Task & Purpose reported. The warship had operated in the region since sailing from Naval Station Norfolk on March 31. Stars and Stripes reported that the ship supported Operation Epic Fury, the joint American and Israeli offensive against Iran, before enforcing a naval blockade against Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
"This port visit provides a well-earned opportunity for our sailors to rest while reflecting on the professionalism they bring to every mission," said Capt. Justin T. Issler, the carrier's commanding officer, in a statement released by the Navy. The vessel's departure follows an intense September exchange where Iranian drones and missiles targeted American bases in Jordan and at least one carrier in the Arabian Sea. Pentagon casualty data cited by Task & Purpose confirmed nine Marines and 29 sailors were wounded in action during September.
The departure leaves the USS George Washington as the sole American carrier currently operating in the combat theater against Iran, according to Stars and Stripes. Relief forces are moving west to fill the gap. The USS Theodore Roosevelt sailed from San Diego on Sept. 27, flanked by the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group carrying the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. That force is expected to join or relieve the George Washington in the coming weeks.
The Bush is the second carrier to pull into Thailand upon leaving the theater, following the USS Abraham Lincoln's stop in September. It remains unconfirmed where the rest of the Bush strike group, including the destroyers USS Mason, USS Ross and USS Donald Cook, will make port.