Battleship Missouri, 3 Escorts Will Move to Persian Gulf Area

The battleship Missouri and three escorts will sail from California in late July for the Persian Gulf, but the giant warship will not be used to escort Kuwaiti oil tankers, Pentagon officials said today.

Instead, the Missouri will stand as a second sentry in a “one-two punch,” along with the carrier Constellation, to respond against Iran if that country attempts to fire ground-to-sea missiles against the U.S.-flagged ships, the officials said.

The officials said the Missouri, two cruisers and a guided-missile destroyer will leave from California ports July 25 or 26, bound for the northern Arabian Sea.

While the Missouri battle group may “occasionally” steam into the Persian Gulf itself, it will spend most of its time in the northern Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman, outside the Persian Gulf’s entrance at the Strait of Hormuz, the officials said.