The U.S. Navy says two vessels carrying Marines have departed an American base on Crete as part of a military buildup around Libya.
Souda Bay navy base spokesman Paul Farley says the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge and the USS Ponce departed the base after 3 p.m. local time (1300 GMT).
The ships had docked in Souda Bay Friday, two days after 400 Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina also arrived in Crete.
The United States has said it wants embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to step down and has not ruled out imposing a no-fly zone over Libya.
source: AP
