I'd still be in favor of taking the old S.S. United States out to that region as a shiny new sort of "Q-ship". She's in Philadelphia, just sitting there.
Fastest liner in the world still, designed and built in the US, almost 50 knots, nearly 1000 feet long, and since she was built in the 1950's as a Navy contingency troopship as well, she has an armored hull with anti-torpedo banding that would prevent damage from suicide ramming rafts.
Anyone got a few hundred million? It's disgraceful she's sitting there like that, she should be our Ship of State. If you're in Philly, drive by the harbor. So impressive that it doesn't even look real from a distance, more like a movie set. While modern cruise ships are uuuuuugly condos that float, this one is "wow" presence, even with her paint peeling.