Why can't any of the RDF ships be from the Atlantic battles? Is it not possible that some, even all of the ships that escorted the troops in 1997 were sunk, redeployed, or otherwise removed from the area. Is it not possible that one or more of the RDF ships were shifted into the area between June 1997 and July 2000?
I'm not saying that any of them are, just that's it's possible since we're not specifically told otherwise. Also, like the aircraft, it makes sense to send your conventionally powered ships to operate in the same area where fuel is available.
It is indeed likely some sort of carrier was initially included to support the landings and following actions, but, as has been noted previously, carriers are big juicy targets for the enemy. There's no reason to believe whatever was there isn't on the bottom due to sabotage, enemy naval action, aerial bombing or any number of a multitude of possibilities.
As I proposed a while back, it's possible the Tarawa was stationed in the gulf until 2000 when it was shifted to Europe to support the Spring Offensive there. It's possible it was one of the ships which carried the initial force of Marines to the area, but it's just as possible it was always in Europe and had elements of the 2nd MARDIV attached.
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