NEW DELHI: USS Carl Vinson – the US aircraft carrier that buried the most dreaded terrorist in the world Osama Bin Laden at sea – has reached Indian shores to take part in the 10-day long war games with the Indian Navy off Chennai coast and then in Bay of Bengal.
About a year ago, Osama’s body was on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson before it was lowered into the sea -- Osama’s final resting place somewhere in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Powered by nuclear fuel, the 31-year-old Vinson was also deployed around Iran in 1990s and in the north Arabian Sea to launch first strikes of Operation Enduring Freedom against Afghanistan after 9/11 terror attack. Floating deck carrier Vinson has led the US 7th Fleet comprising of guided missile cruiser USS Bunkerhill, guided missile destroyer USS Halsey and logistics ships UNNS Bridge, Los Angeles-class submarine USS Louisville and a P3C Orion reconnaissance aircraft to India for the 16th edition of the Malabar exercise that began in 1992.
Presently, Vinson has reached off the coast of Chennai with a 6,000-strong crew. The ship goes by the nickname the ‘Gold Eagle’.