thomas copland
BBC Verify Live Journalist

I have reported this week as well. A second American aircraft carrier appears to be heading to the Middle East as Washington continues to put pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford is the world’s largest warship and the most advanced ship in the U.S. Navy.

This morning, we tracked the USS Mahan, one of the destroyers escorting the USS Gerald R. Ford as part of the carrier strike group, through the Strait of Gibraltar on the western edge of the Mediterranean Sea.

We previously reported that the airline briefly broadcast its position off Morocco’s Atlantic coast on Wednesday. During the 48 minutes that position data became available, the ship appeared to be heading east toward the Mediterranean Sea.

As we reported in the post below, today we saw photos showing an aircraft carrier passing through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Using ship tracking data, we also determined that the USS Mahan, one of the destroyers in Ford’s Carrier Strike Group, also passed by.

Graphic: Tom Shiel