US Navy ship heads for Georgia

A third US Navy ship carrying humanitarian aid is crossing the Turkish Straits on its way to Georgia.

A third US Navy ship carrying humanitarian aid is crossing the Turkish Straits on its way to Georgia.

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The USS Mount Whitney steamed through the Dardanelles early on Wednesday and was expected to pass through the Bosporus later in the day. The two Turkish-controlled straits link the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.

The ship is the third US Navy vessel the military said would take supplies such as blankets, hygiene kits and baby food to Georgia following its war with Russia over South Ossetia.

One of the three US ships, the USS McFaul, sailed back through the straits toward the Mediterranean late on Monday.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday complained about an increase of NATO ships in the region and promised to respond.