The US Navy has sunk the decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu in a live-fire sinking exercise in the Pacific, using unmanned surface vessels and anti-ship missiles fired from a submarine, according to the US Navy.
The Tarawa-class ship, hull number LHA 5, was targeted during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026 on 17 July. Footage released by US 3rd Fleet showed unmanned surface vessels taking part against the hulk of the vessel, which was also struck by two UGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles fired from the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Columbia.
Sinking exercises, known as SINKEXs, allow navies to test weapons against a full-sized target and are a regular feature of RIMPAC, as well as providing a means of disposing of decommissioned hulls. A single target is often engaged by a range of platforms, from ships and aircraft to submarines, using missiles, torpedoes and gunfire.
Under US environmental rules, such exercises must be conducted in water at least 6,000 feet deep and at least 50 nautical miles from land, with vessels cleaned of hazardous materials before being sunk.
Peleliu served for more than 35 years. With a displacement of nearly 40,000 tons, the ship launched a variety of aircraft from its flight deck while conducting combat operations and humanitarian missions across half the globe. LHAs are the largest of all amphibious warfare ships and resemble a small aircraft carrier. The ship was decommissioned in 2015 as the last of the Tarawa class, and took its name from the 1944 Battle of Peleliu.
RIMPAC 2026 involves 30 nations, 30 ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 190 aircraft and more than 30,000 personnel in and around the Hawaiian Islands from 24 June to 31 July. The US Navy describes it as the world’s largest international maritime exercise, providing a training opportunity while fostering cooperative relationships among participants and supporting the safety of sea lanes. RIMPAC 2026 is the 30th exercise in a series that began in 1971.
The Peleliu sinking was the second of two SINKEXs at this year’s exercise. Five days earlier, on 12 July, the decommissioned Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) was sunk in the same waters. Both ships now rest on the Pacific seafloor, roughly 15,000 feet down and more than 50 nautical miles off the northern coast of Kauai. During the two exercises, units from Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, New Zealand and Spain took part in targeting and live-firing alongside US Navy, Air Force and Army forces.
Mobile Bay entered service in 1987 and was decommissioned in 2023, having deployed to the Pacific on humanitarian and peacekeeping missions and supported operations in Iraq. Republic of Korea Navy Rear Admiral Inho Kim, RIMPAC 2026 Combined Force Maritime Component Commander, said in a US Navy release: “The successful execution of multiple SINKEXs highlights the unbreakable bond and growing capability of our coalition.” US Navy Vice Admiral Jeff Jablon, the exercise’s Combined Task Force commander, said “SINKEXs are a prime example of the strength and readiness our partnerships create.”
This is all good in theory, but the West effectively lost its conflict with Iran due to a fundamental clash of doctrines. Western military strategy relies on expensive, precise weapons and minimizing casualties. In contrast, Iran’s doctrine embraces asymmetric warfare, cheap mass-produced weaponry, and a willingness to accept high losses while targeting civilian infrastructure and vessels. The reality is the West has not won a war against a non-Western-thinking opponent since WWII. No matter how many shiny new weapons we build, an adversary with different strategic/moral boundaries boundaries will always win. I think West is uncomfortable with the fact that the currency of war is violence and blood.
Note I don’t respond to comments, life’s to short 😀
Ukraine has been doing this for the last few years with I suspect much cheaper drones. The US and by turn the UK are still way behind the curve.