Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group Deploys from San Diego
The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group quietly departed Monday from San Diego for a scheduled deployment, USNI News has learned. Big-deck amphibious warship USS Makin Island (LHD-8), the flagship of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, was sighted sailing under the Coronado Bridge on its way out to the Pacific after 1 p.m. Monday local time. That same day, amphibious transport docks USS Anchorage (LPD-23) and USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26) also deployed from San Diego. A Navy official confirmed to USNI News that the amphibious ships had deployed. The three ships make up the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group.
USS Makin Island (LHD-8) departs San Diego on Sept. 28, 2026, for a scheduled deployment. San Diego Web Cam photo The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group quietly departed Monday from San Diego for a scheduled deployment, USNI News has learned.
Big-deck amphibious warship USS Makin Island (LHD-8), the flagship of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, was sighted sailing under the Coronado Bridge on its way out to the Pacific after 1 p.m. Monday local time. That same day, amphibious transport docks USS Anchorage (LPD-23) and USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26) also deployed from San Diego.
A Navy official confirmed to USNI News that the amphibious ships had deployed.
The three ships make up the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group. An ARG/MEU typically includes about 2,200 Marines and sailors that are part of the MEU, and another approximately 2,000 sailors across the three amphibious ships.
USS Anchorage (LPD 23) and USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) San Antonio-class Flight I amphibious transport docks leaving San Diego on a scheduled deployment – September 28, 2026 SRC: YT- SanDiegoWebcam pic.twitter.com/sA05YvpdPj
— WarshipCam (@WarshipCam) September 28, 2026
The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit is deploying with the Makin Island ARG. Over the last few months, Marines with the 13th MEU conducted integrated training with the three ships off the coast of California. That integrated training is part of the workups that ARG/MEUs do ahead of a deployment.
The 13th MEU’s Marine Air-Ground Task Force includes the Battalion Landing Team 2/4 and the Combat Logistics Battalion 13, according to Navy and Marine Corps media released in recent months. The aviation squadrons are Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 364 (Reinforced) and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, which includes MV-22B Ospreys, AH-1Z Vipers and F-35B Lightning IIs.
U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 2/4, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepare to execute a ship-to-shore movement from the well deck of San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26) for an amphibious assault training mission off the coast of California, Aug. 26, 2026. US Marine Corps photo The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group with their embarked Marines deployed from the West Coast in March, less than one month after the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran. However, the group did not arrive in the Arabian Sea until early July, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker.
As of Monday, the Boxer ARG was still operating in the Arabian Sea. The ARG includes Boxer, USS Comstock (LSD-45), USS Portland (LPD-27) and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
