Forces from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Italy and Japan took part in the operations. Both ships were towed more than 50 nautical miles from Kauai before the engagements.
The drills brought together surface ships, submarines and aircraft against full-size naval targets. The U.S. Navy’s 3rd Fleet later released footage of the sinkings.
USS Mobile Bay was struck by several weapons during the exercise. These included Spike Non-Line of Sight missiles fired from AH-64 Apache helicopters.
Other surface, subsurface and airborne platforms also engaged the former cruiser. The exercise tested coordinated attacks by multiple forces and weapon systems.
USS Peleliu was targeted in part by combat unmanned strike systems. Other naval and aviation assets also participated in the attack.
Both wrecks came to rest at a depth of about 4.5 kilometres. The ships had been removed from active service before being assigned as targets for the exercise.
USS Mobile Bay was a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser that served from 1987 to 2023. It operated repeatedly in the Pacific and supported humanitarian, peacekeeping and combat missions.
The cruiser also took part in operations against Iraq. Before retirement, it participated in RIMPAC 2022.
USS Peleliu was a Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship commissioned in 1980. It was named after the World War II Battle of Peleliu and remained in service until 2015.
The ship took part in missions in Somalia during the 1990s and transported troops to Afghanistan. It also supported U.S. military operations in Iraq.
RIMPAC 2026 involves about 30,000 military personnel from 30 countries. Participating forces include 30 surface ships, five submarines and more than 190 aircraft.
The exercise runs from June 24 through July 31, 2026. It is the 30th edition of RIMPAC, which has been held since 1971.
