"The US 6th Fleet Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS MOUNT WHITNEY LCC 20 departed Gaeta, Italy, Oct. 18, 2023, in support of US operations in the eastern Mediterranean Sea," the statement said on Wednesday.
The amphibious command ship would be dispatched to the US European Command area to engage with allies and partners and support maritime operations there, the statement added.
The US has deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups to the region to bolster deterrence efforts in response to the Hamas attacks on Israel. On October 10, the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean, where it will be joined by the Dwight D Eisenhower carrier strike group.
The first strike group includes the US Navy aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser Normandy and the Arleigh-Burke class guided missile destroyers Thomas Hudner, Ramage, Carney and Roosevelt. The Dwight D. Eisenhower strike group comprises the US guided-missile cruiser Philippine Sea, guided-missile destroyers Gravely and Mason, as well as Carrier Air Wing 3 with nine aircraft squadrons.