Ships and aircraft participating in exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026 conducted a planned, live-fire sinking exercise (SINKEX) and sank decommissioned USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), July 12, 2026, and decommissioned
Ships and aircraft participating in exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026 conducted a planned, live-fire sinking exercise (SINKEX) and sank decommissioned USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), July 12, 2026, and decommissioned USS Peleliu (LHA 5), July 17. Mobile Bay and Peleliu were sunk in waters 15,000 feet deep, more than 50 nautical miles off the northern coast of the island of Kauai.
During the SINKEXs, participating units from Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Army gained proficiency in tactics, targeting and live-firing against a surface ship at sea. Live-fire exercises deliver hands-on, realistic training that sharpens partner nations' capabilities to coordinate, plan and execute sophisticated maritime operations, including precision targeting and strike capabilities.
A SINKEX is conducted only after the area has been surveyed for the presence of people, marine vessels, aircraft, and marine species. SINKEXs are planned in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and executed in accordance with the Navy’s permits and authorizations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act.
Mobile Bay, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, was commissioned on Feb. 21, 1987, at the Alabama State Docks in
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