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| Axis of Evil |
| Carrier fleet leaves US for possible Iraq showdown |
| 2002-12-05 |
| The U.S. aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman and its battle group set sail for the Mediterranean on Thursday for what many sailors believed will be an inevitable showdown with Iraq. The 8,000 sailors aboard the 12 vessels in the Truman group knew they were sailing into waters that would be anything but calm. Although the Truman was leaving on what was officially labeled a routine six-month deployment, the mood on the Navy piers varied from "anxious" to "pumped." The Truman is part of a U.S. buildup of military power in the Gulf region that the Bush administration says is aimed at pressuring Iraq to comply with the inspections and surrender any biological, chemical or nuclear weapons it might have. Navy officials said the Truman group could be out longer than six months if war erupted in the Gulf. The Truman is scheduled to replace the George Washington battle group, but those ships could remain in the Gulf as well. Takes a week to get to the med, then another few days to transit the Suez canel. Unless we have permission to overfly both Isreal and Jordan, in which case she could operate in the eastern med to hit Iraq from the west. Good hunting, guys. God speed. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #7 Vaya con dios, boys, and give 'em hell! |
| Posted by: Ptah 2002-12-06 11:09:26 |
| #6 The battle group consists of the aircraft carrier USS Hary S.Truman and 11 other warships; the guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto, the guided-missile destroyers USS Oscar Austin, USS Mitscher and USS Donald Cook, the destroyers USS Briscoe and USS Deyo, the guided-missile frigate USS Hawes, the attack submarine Montpelier, the oiler USS Kanawha and the ammunition ship USS Mount Baker The battle group also includes Air Wing 3, made up of about 80 aircraft from Norfolk; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Jacksonville, Florida; Whidbey Island, Washington; and Beaufort, South Carolina. No Marine unit was listed as part of the battle group sailing from Norfolk, I believe they are already there in the Gulf. |
| Posted by: Steve 2002-12-06 09:25:08 |
| #5 You would be correct about the MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) All carrier battle groups have one and there is about 5,000 Napalm pissing Marines (like myself) Itching for some trigger time on a few no good terrorist types. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2002-12-06 03:44:02 |
| #4 I like what one of the execs on the Truman said when it left port: "think of us as 98,000 tons of diplomacy". |
| Posted by: Jack 2002-12-06 03:43:34 |
| #3 They'll be there in time to mop up. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2002-12-05 16:14:10 |
| #2 The group has a Marine MEU with it, I believe. One o' them nasty helicopter assault carriers? Good. Go get 'em, gyrenes... |
| Posted by: mojo 2002-12-05 16:08:42 |
| #1 The George Washington battle group is scheduled to depart the region about December 20. It'll be interesting to see if it does. Rear Admiral Snufflebeam commands the Truman group. Former Pentagon spokeman. The group has a Marine MEU with it, I believe. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2002-12-05 14:15:22 |