One of San Diego’s biggest warships, the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, is being quietly readied on the waterfront for a potential run to the Middle East with Camp Pendleton Marines.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told a House subcommittee that the San Diego-based ship is being prepared to sail with Marines from Pendleton, although he did not release an exact departure date or firm up how many Marines might be aboard. The indication is clear, however: the ship is moving toward deployment status at a time when earlier ship movements have already nudged other amphibious groups closer to the region.
According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, Makin Island has been training in local waters alongside the transport ships USS Somerset and USS San Diego as part of the workup. Cao confirmed the preparation for a possible deployment with Camp Pendleton Marines, while steering clear of specific timelines.
What Makin Island Can Do
The 843-foot Makin Island is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship designed to carry a Marine Expeditionary Unit along with its aircraft, landing craft and embarked gear. It serves as a floating base that can move Marines, their equipment and their air support close to shore.
Materials from Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet describe the ship as routinely conducting aviation and amphibious training. The ship can operate MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and F-35B short-takeoff and vertical-landing jets, giving embarked Marines options for getting ashore and projecting air power once they are there.
How This Fits With Recent Movements
If Makin Island heads out, it will follow closely on the heels of another local big-deck amphibious ship. In March, USS Boxer departed San Diego, carrying roughly 2,200 Camp Pendleton Marines toward the Middle East, according to local coverage.
NBC 7 San Diego reported on that sailaway, highlighting the thousands of local sailors and Marines involved. At the same time, national fleet trackers such as USNI News have been logging recent amphibious group movements and ship-spotter reports in the Eastern Pacific, showing the broader reshuffling of sea power in the area.
What It Means for San Diego
When a big-deck ship like Makin Island leaves, San Diego feels it almost immediately. Waterfront schedules shift, shipyard work gets reshuffled and thousands of service members and families suddenly move into deployment mode, with all the strain that brings.
KPBS has documented how sustained deployments from San Diego ripple through local neighborhoods, from long family separations to added pressure on support services and base communities. A Makin Island deployment would be another major chapter in that ongoing story.
For now, key details remain blank. The Navy has not released an operational timeline or confirmed the size of any Makin Island-led group. This story will be updated as official statements or public ship-tracking information fill in the picture.
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