US Navy guided-missile sub calls in South Korea

By Barbara Starr, Zachary Cohen and Brad Lendon, CNN
Updated 2:03 PM EDT, Tue April 25, 2017

Story highlights

The US Navy submarine docked in the port city of Busan, South Korea

The USS Michigan is meant to send a strong message to Pyongyang

(CNN) —  

The USS Michigan – a guided-missile submarine – arrived in South Korea for what a US defense official described as a show of force amid tensions between the US and North Korea.

The US Navy sub arrived in the port city of Busan, South Korea, on the same day that North Korea celebrates the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army.

Publicly the US Naval Forces Korea called the sub’s visit to the region “routine” and said the scheduled port call was a chance to highlight the alliance between the US and South Korean navies, but quietly officials told CNN that the timing is not a coincidence.   

While the USS Michigan is not expected to take part in the joint exercises, its presence in the region is meant to send a strong message to Pyongyang.

US President Donald Trump told Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo earlier this month that the US was sending an “armada” with submarines to the region.

“We are sending an armada. Very powerful,” Trump told Bartiromo. “We have submarines. Very powerful. Far more powerful than the aircraft carrier. That I can tell you.”

Analysts at the time suspected Trump might be referring to Ohio-class subs like the Michigan.

Armed with tactical missiles and equipped with superior communications capabilities, the Michigan is one of four US Navy subs that began service as a ballistic missile submarine, loaded with nuclear missiles as part of the US strategic nuclear deterrent.

The USS Michigan, an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine, arrives in Busan, South Korea, for a routine port visit in December 2010. Click through the gallery to see some of the other subs in the U.S. Navy
Photos: U.S. Navy's submarine fleet
The USS Michigan, an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine, arrives in Busan, South Korea, for a routine port visit in December 2010. Click through the gallery to see some of the other subs in the U.S. Navy's fleet.
PHOTO: Raymond Solis/U.S. Navy
A dolphin swims in front of the Virginia-class attack submarine USS John Warner during its sea trials in May 2015. Virginia-class subs, displacing 7,800 tons and at 377 feet long, "are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and special operation forces (SOF); carry out inntelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions; support battle group operations; and engage in mine warfare," according to the Navy.
Photos: U.S. Navy's submarine fleet
A dolphin swims in front of the Virginia-class attack submarine USS John Warner during its sea trials in May 2015. Virginia-class subs, displacing 7,800 tons and at 377 feet long, "are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and special operation forces (SOF); carry out inntelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions; support battle group operations; and engage in mine warfare," according to the Navy.
PHOTO: U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries by ChrisOxley/Released
The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729) departs Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay to conduct routine operations in October 2015.
Photos: U.S. Navy's submarine fleet
The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729) departs Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay to conduct routine operations in October 2015.
PHOTO: Mark Turney/U.S. Navy
The USS Seawolf, shown here in support of European operations in June 2015, is the lead vessel in the three-boat Seawolf class. The Seawolf and the USS Connecticut, the second boat in the class, displace 9,138 tons and are 353 feet long. Click to the next slide to learn more about the third sub in the class, the USS Jimmy Carter.
Photos: U.S. Navy's submarine fleet
The USS Seawolf, shown here in support of European operations in June 2015, is the lead vessel in the three-boat Seawolf class. The Seawolf and the USS Connecticut, the second boat in the class, displace 9,138 tons and are 353 feet long. Click to the next slide to learn more about the third sub in the class, the USS Jimmy Carter.
PHOTO: U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries by ChrisOxley/Released
The Seawolf-class attack submarine USS Jimmy Carter is moored in a Washington state facility that reduces a ship
Photos: U.S. Navy's submarine fleet
The Seawolf-class attack submarine USS Jimmy Carter is moored in a Washington state facility that reduces a ship's electromagnetic signature in 2006. The Jimmy Carter is 100 feet longer than the first two subs in its class. The extra space is for a "multimission platform," the Navy says. "This hull section provides for additional payloads to accommodate advanced technology used to carry out classified research and development and for enhanced warfighting capabilities."
PHOTO: U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries by ChrisOxley/Released
The U.S. Navy has more than a dozen ballistic missile submarines, also called boomers, in service. The boomers, 560 feet long, can carry 24 nuclear-armed Trident II ballistic missiles and serve as nuclear deterrents. Here, the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS West Virginia departs a naval shipyard in 2013.
Photos: U.S. Navy's submarine fleet
The U.S. Navy has more than a dozen ballistic missile submarines, also called boomers, in service. The boomers, 560 feet long, can carry 24 nuclear-armed Trident II ballistic missiles and serve as nuclear deterrents. Here, the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS West Virginia departs a naval shipyard in 2013.
PHOTO: U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries by ChrisOxley/Released
The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Ohio transits Puget Sound, Washington, in June 2015. The Ohio and three other guided-missile subs -- USS Florida, USS Michigan and USS Georgia -- were originally built and deployed as ballistic-missile subs, but were converted to guided-missile platforms beginning in 2002 after the Navy concluded it had a surplus of the boomers.
Photos: U.S. Navy's submarine fleet
The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Ohio transits Puget Sound, Washington, in June 2015. The Ohio and three other guided-missile subs -- USS Florida, USS Michigan and USS Georgia -- were originally built and deployed as ballistic-missile subs, but were converted to guided-missile platforms beginning in 2002 after the Navy concluded it had a surplus of the boomers.
PHOTO: U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries by ChrisOxley/Released
The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Hampton surfaces through Arctic ice in March 2014. The Los Angeles-class is the biggest in the Navy
Photos: U.S. Navy's submarine fleet
The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Hampton surfaces through Arctic ice in March 2014. The Los Angeles-class is the biggest in the Navy's sub fleet, with a few dozen in commission. These subs displace 6,900 tons and are 360 feet long. The class was introduced in 1976.
PHOTO: U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries by ChrisOxley/Released

In the 2000s the Navy converted four of the Ohio-class subs into land-attack platforms armed with conventional weapons.

Each of the four submarines can carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles. They are also outfitted to stealthily deploy up to 66 Navy SEALs or other special operations troops and their equipment.

The Michigan could be deployed in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, off the Korean Peninsula, said Carl Schuster, a Hawaii Pacific University professor and former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center.

“Nuclear submarines prefer to operate in water over 100 fathoms deep (600 feet). Not always possible but they like having a lot of vertical space to duck and dodge in if they encounter anything unpleasant,” Schuster told CNN.

The 560-foot-long, 18,000-ton Michigan is one of four converted Ohio-class subs, joining the USS Ohio, USS Florida and USS Georgia.

The Michigan’s visit to Busan comes after North Korea on Sunday threatened to sink the American aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which is beginning joint drills with two Japanese destroyers in the western Pacific Ocean.

Sailors spell out #USA with the American flag on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Persian Gulf in late June 2015. When the Roosevelt leaves the Gulf sometime in October, the U.S. Navy will be without a carrier in the important region for two months.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
Sailors spell out #USA with the American flag on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Persian Gulf in late June 2015. When the Roosevelt leaves the Gulf sometime in October, the U.S. Navy will be without a carrier in the important region for two months.
PHOTO: Spc. Jackie Hart/U.S. Navy
A MV-22B Osprey, from Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1, lifts off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) on June 12, 2016. Click through the gallery to see other US aircraft carriers.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
A MV-22B Osprey, from Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1, lifts off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) on June 12, 2016. Click through the gallery to see other US aircraft carriers.
PHOTO: Specialist 3rd Class Sean Castellano/US Navy
Tug boats maneuver the aircraft carrier Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) into the James River during the ship
Photos: US aircraft carriers
Tug boats maneuver the aircraft carrier Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) into the James River during the ship's turn ship evolution on June 11, 2016. This is a major milestone that brings the country's newest aircraft carrier another step closer to delivery and commissioning later this year.
PHOTO: MC3 Cathrine Mae O. Campbell/US NAVY
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) arrives at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, a suburb of Tokyo, Japan, on October 1, 2015. The Reagan is the fifth U.S. carrier forward deployed to Japan following USS George Washington (CVN 73), USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), USS Independence (CV 62) and USS Midway (CV 41), according to the Navy.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) arrives at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, a suburb of Tokyo, Japan, on October 1, 2015. The Reagan is the fifth U.S. carrier forward deployed to Japan following USS George Washington (CVN 73), USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), USS Independence (CV 62) and USS Midway (CV 41), according to the Navy.
PHOTO: Toru YAMANAKATORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) transits through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea on June 13, 2016. Ike, the flagship of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. It could be used to support operations against ISIS in the Mideast.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) transits through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea on June 13, 2016. Ike, the flagship of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. It could be used to support operations against ISIS in the Mideast.
PHOTO: Specialist 2nd Class Michael R. Gendron/US Navy
A rainbow forms over the bow of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis as the ship steams in the Pacific Ocean on February 3, 2015.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
A rainbow forms over the bow of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis as the ship steams in the Pacific Ocean on February 3, 2015.
PHOTO: U.S. Navy/Specialist 3rd Class Ignacio D. Perez
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter (left) and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Voltaire Gazmin shake hands on a Marine Corps V-22 Osprey as they depart the the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) after touring the aircraft carrier as it sailed in the South China Sea on April 15, 2016.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
U.S. aircraft carrier classes —  
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter (left) and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Voltaire Gazmin shake hands on a Marine Corps V-22 Osprey as they depart the the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) after touring the aircraft carrier as it sailed in the South China Sea on April 15, 2016.
PHOTO: Senior Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz/USAF
A photo illustration of the U.S. Navy
Photos: US aircraft carriers
A photo illustration of the U.S. Navy's Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79). The ship's keel laying ceremony was celebrated Saturday, August 22, 2015, in Newport News, Virginia. The ship is expected to replace the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), scheduled for inactivation in 2025, in the Navy fleet. The newest Kennedy will be the second carrier of that name. The first John F. Kennedy (CVA-67) was the last conventionally powered carrier. It was decommissioned in 2007.
PHOTO: Huntington Ingalls Industries
The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) passes under the Friendship Bridge while transiting the Suez Canal on Dec. 14, 2015. The ship is conducting operations in the Persian Gulf, where Iran claims to have taken footage of the carrier using a drone. Click through the gallery for more images of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) passes under the Friendship Bridge while transiting the Suez Canal on Dec. 14, 2015. The ship is conducting operations in the Persian Gulf, where Iran claims to have taken footage of the carrier using a drone. Click through the gallery for more images of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers.
PHOTO: Spec. 3rd Class J. R. Pacheco/U.S. Navy
Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman V. Sek, assigned to the "Jolly Rogers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103, applies a Christmas decal to an F/A-18F Super Hornet in the hangar bay of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in December 2015.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman V. Sek, assigned to the "Jolly Rogers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103, applies a Christmas decal to an F/A-18F Super Hornet in the hangar bay of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in December 2015.
PHOTO: Specialist 2nd Class K. H. Anderson/U.S. Navy
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is seen from inside its sister ship, the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), on August 7 off the coast of California as the two ships prepare for a "hull swap." Over 10 days in San Diego, much of the crew of each ship will transfer to the other. When completed, the Reagan will head to forward deployment in Japan, where the Washington had been. The Washington will head to Newport News, Virginia, for an overhaul.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is seen from inside its sister ship, the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), on August 7 off the coast of California as the two ships prepare for a "hull swap." Over 10 days in San Diego, much of the crew of each ship will transfer to the other. When completed, the Reagan will head to forward deployment in Japan, where the Washington had been. The Washington will head to Newport News, Virginia, for an overhaul.
PHOTO: Spc.t 3rd Class Ryan N. McFarlane/U.S. Navy
Three Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), top, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), center, and USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) are pierside at Naval Air Station North Island near San Diego on June 12, 2015. The Vinson has just recently returned from a 10-month deployment. The Reagan is preparing for a move to Japan later this year and the Stennis was making a port call after steaming from its homeport of Bremerton, Washington.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
Three Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), top, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), center, and USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) are pierside at Naval Air Station North Island near San Diego on June 12, 2015. The Vinson has just recently returned from a 10-month deployment. The Reagan is preparing for a move to Japan later this year and the Stennis was making a port call after steaming from its homeport of Bremerton, Washington.
PHOTO: Spec. 2nd Class Daniel M. Young/U.S. Navy
Sailors test the countermeasure washdown system on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) during sea trials prior to returning to its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk in late August 2015.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
Sailors test the countermeasure washdown system on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) during sea trials prior to returning to its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk in late August 2015.
PHOTO: Anderson W. Branch/U.S. Navy
The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt departs Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on Wednesday, March 11, for a scheduled deployment. The Nimitz-class carrier
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt departs Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on Wednesday, March 11, for a scheduled deployment. The Nimitz-class carrier's departure was delayed for two days after marine growth clogged sea water intakes. Divers went into the 36-degree water to clean out the intakes and allow the ship to get under way. The cold water created a fog that made it seem the ship was in a cloud.
PHOTO: Spec. 2nd Class Justin Wolpert/U.S. Navy
The USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, is seen near the coast of Indonesia in 2005. The carrier recently received a new anchor from the decommissioned USS Enterprise.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, is seen near the coast of Indonesia in 2005. The carrier recently received a new anchor from the decommissioned USS Enterprise.
PHOTO: Gabriel R. Piper/U.S. Navy via Getty Images
Lightning strikes over the flight deck of the USS John C. Stennis, another Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, as the ship moves through the Persian Gulf in 2007. All of the Navy
Photos: US aircraft carriers
Lightning strikes over the flight deck of the USS John C. Stennis, another Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, as the ship moves through the Persian Gulf in 2007. All of the Navy's 10 active aircraft carriers are from the Nimitz class, which started in 1975 with the commission of the USS Nimitz.
PHOTO: Heidi J. Giacalone/U.S. Navy via Getty Images
The USS Ranger (CV-61) arrives at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1993. The Forrestal-class carrier, which featured in the movie "Top Gun," is to be scrapped this year.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The USS Ranger (CV-61) arrives at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1993. The Forrestal-class carrier, which featured in the movie "Top Gun," is to be scrapped this year.
PHOTO: U.S. Navy
In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, a tugboat works alongside the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Saratoga on Thursday, August 21, in Newport, Rhode Island. The Navy has paid a Texas recycling company a penny to dispose of the Saratoga, part of the Forrestal-class of "supercarrier" vessels built for the Atomic Age. The carrier was decommissioned 20 years ago.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, a tugboat works alongside the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Saratoga on Thursday, August 21, in Newport, Rhode Island. The Navy has paid a Texas recycling company a penny to dispose of the Saratoga, part of the Forrestal-class of "supercarrier" vessels built for the Atomic Age. The carrier was decommissioned 20 years ago.
PHOTO: U.S. Navy/AP
Aircrew members are lifted from the flight deck of the USS John F. Kennedy during an exercise in 2002. The ship, which was decommissioned in 2007, was the only member of its class.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
Aircrew members are lifted from the flight deck of the USS John F. Kennedy during an exercise in 2002. The ship, which was decommissioned in 2007, was the only member of its class.
PHOTO: Jim Hampshire/U.S. Navy/Getty Images
An F/A-18 Hornet launches from the USS Enterprise in 2007. The Enterprise, the world
Photos: US aircraft carriers
An F/A-18 Hornet launches from the USS Enterprise in 2007. The Enterprise, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was decommissioned in 2012. Like the John F. Kennedy, it was the only ship built in its class.
PHOTO: Charles Crowell/Bloomberg News/getty images
The Kitty Hawk class was named for the USS Kitty Hawk, seen here departing Yokosuka, Japan, in 2008. At that time, the Kitty Hawk was the oldest carrier in the U.S. Navy and the only conventional-power aircraft carrier still in commission. It was decommissioned in 2009.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The Kitty Hawk class was named for the USS Kitty Hawk, seen here departing Yokosuka, Japan, in 2008. At that time, the Kitty Hawk was the oldest carrier in the U.S. Navy and the only conventional-power aircraft carrier still in commission. It was decommissioned in 2009.
PHOTO: Kyle D. Gahlau/U.S. Navy via Getty Images
The USS Independence, a member of the Forrestal class that preceded the Kitty Hawk class, heads up the East River in New York in 1959.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The USS Independence, a member of the Forrestal class that preceded the Kitty Hawk class, heads up the East River in New York in 1959.
PHOTO: Paul Bernius/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
Helicopters sit on the flight deck of the USS Saipan during the mid-1950s. The ship was one of two members of the Saipan class.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
Helicopters sit on the flight deck of the USS Saipan during the mid-1950s. The ship was one of two members of the Saipan class.
PHOTO: from navy.mil
The USS Midway, namesake of the Midway class of aircraft carriers, floats off the coast of North Vietnam in 1972. It was named after the Battle of Midway, when U.S. forces held back a Japanese attempt to take the Pacific atoll in 1942.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The USS Midway, namesake of the Midway class of aircraft carriers, floats off the coast of North Vietnam in 1972. It was named after the Battle of Midway, when U.S. forces held back a Japanese attempt to take the Pacific atoll in 1942.
PHOTO: Dirck Halstead/Liaison/Getty Images
The USS Princeton, part of the Independence class, moves off the coast of Seattle in 1944.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The USS Princeton, part of the Independence class, moves off the coast of Seattle in 1944.
PHOTO: from Navy.mil
The Essex-class USS Franklin burns after being hit by a Japanese dive bomber in 1945. The ship was named after Benjamin Franklin and nicknamed "Big Ben."
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The Essex-class USS Franklin burns after being hit by a Japanese dive bomber in 1945. The ship was named after Benjamin Franklin and nicknamed "Big Ben."
PHOTO: MPI/Getty Images
The USS Wasp burns in the Coral Sea after being struck by three torpedoes from a Japanese submarine in 1942. The ship, the only one of its class, would ultimately sink because of the damage.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The USS Wasp burns in the Coral Sea after being struck by three torpedoes from a Japanese submarine in 1942. The ship, the only one of its class, would ultimately sink because of the damage.
PHOTO: US Navy/Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago/Getty Images
B-25 bombers sit on the deck of the USS Hornet in the Pacific Ocean in 1942. The Hornet, one of three carriers in the Yorktown class, was the ship that launched the bombers flown by Air Force Lt. Col. James Doolittle and his pilots during an air raid in Tokyo four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It also was involved in the Battle of Midway.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
B-25 bombers sit on the deck of the USS Hornet in the Pacific Ocean in 1942. The Hornet, one of three carriers in the Yorktown class, was the ship that launched the bombers flown by Air Force Lt. Col. James Doolittle and his pilots during an air raid in Tokyo four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It also was involved in the Battle of Midway.
PHOTO: Underwood Archives/Getty Images
Navy personnel work on board the USS Ranger circa 1942. The Ranger was the first ship to be designed and built specifically as an aircraft carrier. It was the only ship in its class.
Photos: US aircraft carriers
Navy personnel work on board the USS Ranger circa 1942. The Ranger was the first ship to be designed and built specifically as an aircraft carrier. It was the only ship in its class.
PHOTO: PhotoQuest/Getty Images
There have actually been two aircraft carriers named after the Revolutionary War
Photos: US aircraft carriers
There have actually been two aircraft carriers named after the Revolutionary War's Battle of Saratoga. The first USS Saratoga, seen here moving toward San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge in 1945, was one of two members of the Lexington class of aircraft carriers.
PHOTO: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The USS Langley, the Navy
Photos: US aircraft carriers
The USS Langley, the Navy's first aircraft carrier and sole member of its class, steams off the coast of Baltimore in 1924.
PHOTO: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

The Vinson will be joined by the Ashigara and Samidare destroyers in “tactical training” drills near the Philippines, the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force said.

North Korea’s state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun said in an editorial the country is ready to illustrate its “military force” by sinking a “nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with a single strike.”

The North Korean state newspaper claimed to have weaponry that “can reach continental US and Asia Pacific region” and the “absolute weapon,” or a nuclear hydrogen bomb.

CNN cannot independently verify the newspaper’s claims.

CNN’s Junko Ogura and Susannah Cullinane contributed to this report.