Water Wars: Flexing Muscles, U.S. Deploys Great Green Fleet to South China Sea

Mar 11, 2016 | Zack Bluestone
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In a symbolic show of force, the United States dispatched “a small armada” to patrol the disputed waters of the South China Sea, according to the Navy Times. Anchored by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis and its 7,000 sailors, the strike group also included two Japan-based cruisers (USS Antietam and USS Mobile Bay) and two destroyers (USS Chung-Hoon and USS Stockdale). In addition to conducting routine operations, the Stennis launched  266 air sorties, and all five ships participated in an advanced-biofuel replenishment at sea—part of the Navy’s Great Green Fleet initiative to transform energy consumption and increase operational capacity. In total, the patrol lasted for five days.