Last month, the New York Times reported that satellite images appeared to show that Iran was undertaking a strange task: Creating a nonfunctional, full-size replica of an American Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at the Gachin shipyard near Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf.
Why, exactly, would Iran do this? Analysts told the Times that the boat might be blown up, either as target practice or for propaganda purposes. Iranian media rebutted these theories, instead reporting that the boat was part of a set being built for a movie based on the 1988 downing of an Iran Air passenger jet by the USS Vincennes.
Either way, something is definitely being built. DigitalGlobe and Google have today released additional images of the Gachin shipyard that show the construction work, which you can see in the images below and the gif above.
Feb. 6, 2014
Feb. 8, 2014
March 16, 2014
19 March 2014
This image show you what the ship is supposed to look like:
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) off the coast of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia. Helicopters assigned to Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) and Sailors from Abraham Lincoln are supporting Operation Unified Assistance, the humanitarian operation effort in the wake of the Tsunami that struck South East Asia. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is currently operating in the Indian Ocean off the waters of Indonesia and Thailand. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Seth C. Peterson (RELEASED)