Military Ships

The Pentagon is considering a buildup of Navy forces in the Persian Gulf as a show of force against Iran, a senior defense official said. Speaking on condition of anonymity because the idea has not been approved, the official said one proposal called for sending a second aircraft carrier to the region amid increasing tensions with Iran. Tehran is blamed for encouraging sectarian violence in Iraq as well as allegedly pursuing a nuclear weapons program.

Northrop Grumman Corp., the world's largest warship builder, teamed with Aluminum Chambered Boats Inc. to bid for a new U.S. Navy vessel to be used for missions up rivers in areas such as Iraq. Aluminum Chambered Boats would design the craft, and Century City-based Northrop would outfit it with weapons and sensors, the companies said.

Under a clear blue sky Monday, two Chinese warships slipped peacefully into San Diego Bay, a sign of some warming in the sometimes chilly relationship between the two countries. The arrival of the guidedmissile cruiser Qingdao and the oiler Hongzehu marked the third visit of Chinese ships to the West Coast -- but the first since the 2001 incident in which a Navy surveillance plane collided with a Chinese fighter, forcing the U.S.

A U.S. cruiser equipped with an advanced missile-defense system docked in Yokosuka, Japan, as concerns linger over North Korea's missile program. The Shiloh is equipped with Aegis technology, which is geared toward tracking and shooting down enemy missiles. The top U.S. commander in the Pacific, Adm. William Fallon, said last week that Washington and Tokyo planned to work closely to develop a missile shield to defend against threats posed by communist North Korea.

Northrop Grumman Corp. was awarded a $2.49-billion Navy contract to build two amphibious transport ships, the Defense Department said. The contract calls for the construction of the Navy's 22nd and 23rd amphibious troop ships and the assembly of raw materials and labor for a 24th, the Pentagon said.

Deep in the bleak, gray bowels of this Navy ship docked at Pearl Harbor, the sound of cheerful, light laughter began to bounce off the cavernous walls of the hangar deck. Gone were most of the helicopters and Harrier jets. They were replaced by decorations and welcome signs. Sailors brought aboard 16 roasted kalua pigs, in preparation for a Hawaiian luau on board. The Tarawa had just spent a grueling seven months at sea, one month longer than scheduled.

After more than half a century of wartime valor, maritime tragedy and cinematic triumph, the aircraft carrier Oriskany is preparing for its final mission: sinking into an afterlife as an artificial reef. But being transformed into an attraction for anglers and divers in the Gulf of Mexico is proving one of the more challenging assignments for the storied and long-retired ship.

Under a clear blue sky, the gleaming white ship with huge red crosses on its hull and superstructure sailed Monday on a five-month mission to bring medical care and health education to nations in the western Pacific and Southeast Asia. The Navy hospital ship Mercy has done disaster relief and war duty, but Monday's departure marks its first deployment since its maiden voyage in 1987 on a mission that is primarily goodwill, officials said. Capt. Joseph L.

Two U.S. Navy warships returned fire on suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia, killing one suspect, wounding five and igniting a fire on one vessel, the Navy said. Seven other suspects were taken into custody after the early-morning shootout, said Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown, spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. No sailors were wounded in the battle, which occurred about 5:40 a.m. about 25 nautical miles off the Somalian coast in international waters.

The ship was new and the sailors young, but the tradition was older than America. With sailors in dress uniforms standing at parade rest Wednesday along the edge of the deck in a sign of respect -- a centuries-old seafaring tradition called "manning the rails" -- the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan edged away from the dock at North Island Naval Air Station.