October 14, 2022
The Iranian Navy on September 28 dispatched a flotilla led by the frigate Dena to sail around the world. It did not say what other ships were accompanying the Dena. Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said the purpose of the grand tour was “to show the authority of the dear people of Iran to the whole world.” In 1964, the US Navy sent the nuclear carrier USS Enterprise and two nuclear-powered cruisers around the world in 65 days without stopping in any port. Admiral Irani did not say how long he expected it would take the Iranian flotilla to circumnavigate the globe. US President Theodore Roosevelt sent 16 battleships and assorted support vessels with 20,000 crewmen around the world on a 14-month voyage in 1907-09 to display US power through 20 port calls.