The USS Boxer amphibious warship and the embarked 11th Marine expeditionary unit were sidelined due to an engine-related issue in the early weeks of the war against Iran, as the U.S. launched a blockade against all ships going into or out of Iranian ports and weighed the option of taking Iran's Kharg Island.
According to three officials familiar with the incident, the main circulation pump that cools the engine malfunctioned and needed replacing while the ship was en route to the Middle East.
The Boxer had accelerated its deployment from the U.S. West Coast weeks ahead of schedule to help reinforce troops fighting against Iran. Instead of continuing to the Arabian Sea, the warship and its thousands of Marines and sailors waited for replacement parts and repairs at the U.S.-U.K. base on the tiny, remote Diego Garcia coral atoll in the Indian Ocean.
"USS Boxer was temporarily sidelined during a critical period to control a maritime strait," one official told Newsmax, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the press.
Another official, frustrated by the situation, said the Marines had deployed early aboard Boxer "to give our leaders more options."
"That option was taken away for a while because of yet another maintenance issue with an amphib," the official said, using the more common name for an amphibious warship.
By the time the repairs were completed, the three ships of the USS Boxer amphibious ready group — USS Boxer, USS Comstock, and USS Portland — were redirected to the Strait of Malacca in U.S. Pacific Command to conduct maritime interdictions of vessels sanctioned for providing material support to Iran.
Marines with the amphibious ready group interdicted the stateless oil tanker M/T Tifani on April 21, according to U.S. Central Command.
The Boxer ready group is currently taking part in operations against Iran in the Middle East, as President Donald Trump declared the tenuous ceasefire with Tehran was "over."
One official told Newsmax the Boxer was in good shape when it deployed in March, and the Navy crew is doing all it can to keep its amphibious ship going while paying the price for years of reduced fleet inventory and availability.
The Boxer incident has not been previously reported, and it highlights how military leaders continue to face limited mission options for the Marine Corps' most sought-after rapid response units due to problems with amphibious ships.
Newsmax broke the news last month that a shortage of sea-ready amphibious ships likely will keep the Marine Corps from deploying another full-sized rapid response force aboard vessels for almost a year.
The development severely curtails the service's ability to respond to crises around the globe at a period that coincides with China's stated timeline for potential action against Taiwan.