"We are not having the Dubuque on it. So the navy is looking at a range of options," he said, while not excluding the possibility of sending another ship on the mission.

The 16,500-ton Dubuque usually travels with a crew of 396 sailors, 24 officers, 90 staff and a detachment of 840 Marines, according to the ship's website.

Nine A(H1N1) cases have been confirmed so far among the armed forces, including five with the navy. All of the people who have been infected are in the United States, according to the Pentagon.

-Dow Jones Newswires, 201-938-5500