Jebel Ali
The largest man-made harbor in the world, and the U.S. Navy’s principal liberty and logistics port in the Persian Gulf.
United Arab EmiratesThe Port
Jebel Ali, southwest of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, is the largest man-made harbor in the world. Carved from the desert coast in the 1970s, its vast basins and dozens of berths — alongside a sprawling free-trade zone — helped turn Dubai into a global commercial crossroads.
For the U.S. Navy, Jebel Ali offers the Persian Gulf’s most capable deepwater facilities, able to berth and service a full-size aircraft carrier far from any home base. Since the 1991 Gulf War it has been the Navy’s principal logistics and liberty port in the region.
The Gulf & Southern Watch
Constellation came to the Gulf to enforce the peace won in 1991. From 11 January 1995 her battle group took station for Operation Southern Watch, the standing mission that policed the no-fly zone over southern Iraq — and Jebel Ali was the port that sustained it.
Between cycles on the line, the carrier put in to take on fuel and stores and to give her crew a few days ashore. Nearly every carrier on Southern Watch passed through Jebel Ali; for Constellation’s Sailors and Marines it was home away from home at the far end of the deployment.
Ashore
Liberty at Jebel Ali meant the heat and glare of the Gulf, the markets and gold souks of nearby Dubai, and the strange, welcome quiet of solid ground after weeks of flight-deck cycles — the unmistakable sense of being as far from San Diego as the whole cruise would take them.
See Jebel Ali in the cruise book →Questions & Answers
Why did Constellation stop at Jebel Ali?
Jebel Ali is the U.S. Navy's main port in the Persian Gulf. During Operation Southern Watch in 1995, Constellation used it for replenishment and crew liberty between line periods enforcing the no-fly zone over southern Iraq.
What was Operation Southern Watch?
Operation Southern Watch was the U.S.-led mission, from 1992 to 2003, that enforced a no-fly zone over Iraq south of the 32nd parallel. Constellation's air wing flew patrols over southern Iraq during her 1995 Gulf line periods.
Is Jebel Ali really the largest man-made harbor?
Yes. Jebel Ali, near Dubai, is the largest man-made harbor in the world, with deepwater berths able to accommodate the largest warships and merchant ships afloat.