For the second time in two weeks, a U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarine has appeared on the surface, in yet another apparent act of “signaling.” This time it was the USS Rhode Island, which sailed into the port of Gibraltar yesterday for what was said to be a port visit, a very unusual but no longer unprecedented act. The Rhode Island’s arrival was first reported by ship spotters and subsequently confirmed by a Navy press release.
“Rhode Island’s port visit to Gibraltar reinforces our ironclad commitment to our allies and partners in the region. The U.S. and U.K. share a strong history of cooperation, through exercises, operations, and cooperation activities such as this, that enhance our combined capabilities and partnership,” the release quotes Capt. John Craddock, commander, Task Force 69, part of the U.S. Sixth Fleet, as saying. “The complexity, lethality, and tactical expertise of Rhode Island epitomizes the effectiveness and strength of the submarine force.”
Prior to her port visit to Gibraltar, Rhode Island visited His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMND) Clyde, Scotland (Faslane) for a scheduled port visit in July 2022.
The War Zone’s Joseph Trevithick notes that what makes the appearance of the Rhode Island even stranger is that it came “nearly two weeks after the U.S. Central Command made the extremely curious decision to disclose that another one of these submarines, the USS West Virginia, was operating in the Arabian Sea. As in that case, it’s difficult not to view Rhode Island's ostensibly scheduled stop in Gibraltar as messaging aimed at potential adversaries, such as Russia, as well as allies and partners.”
TASS reported on Oct. 30, that the Russian government added 11 British Overseas Territories to its unfriendly countries list. That was in addition to 3 other Overseas Territories already on the list, Gibraltar among them.
