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-USN-12 September 1996 On Station in Persian Gulf
On station in the Persian Gulf on 12 September was the CARL VINSON (CVN 70) Battle Group, with CALIFORNIA (CGN 36), ARKANSAS (CGN 41), SHILOH (CG 67), LABOON (DDG 58), HEWITT (DD 966), CROMMELIN (FFG 37) and CAMDEN (AOE 7). The Maritime Intercept Group, assigned to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, then consisted of JEFFERSON CITY (SSN 759), RUSSELL (DDG 59), DOYLE (FFG 39), VANDEGRIFT (FFG 48), ARDENT (MCM 12), DEXTROUS (MCM 13), NIAGARA FALLS (T-AFS 3), TIPPECANOE (T-AO 199) and CATAWBA (T-ATF 168). The TARAWA (LHA 1) ARG was also on station in the Persian Gulf, with DULUTH (LPD 6) and RUSHMORE (LSD 47), embarking the 13th MEU. CVW-14 is embarked aboard VINSON.

As tensions remained high, additional U.S. forces were moved to the area. The ENTERPRISE (CVN 65) Battle Group, on Sixth Fleet deployment in the Mediterranean, was ordered to the area during mid- month; the "BIG E," with CVW-17 embarked, passed through Suez on 15 September, entering the Persian Gulf 19 September. Joining her in the Persian Gulf were GETTYSBURG (CG 64), NORFOLK (SSN 714), PITTSBURGH (SSN 720) (passed through Suez 17 Sept.), STUMP (DD 978), STEPHEN W. GROVES (FFG 29) and SUPPLY (AOE 6). Back To The Index

-USN-

Personnel: - Approx. 20,000

Ships: - 28

Aircraft Carriers
• USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) - homeport: Alemeda, Calif.
• Commander Cruiser Destroyer Group 3/Commander Destroyer Squadron 5
• Commander Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (Aircraft numbers are approximate)
• 20 F/A-18C - Strike Fighter Squadrons (VFA) 25 and 113
• 18 F-14D - Fighter Squadrons (VF) 11 and 31
• 12 A-6E - Attack Squadron 196
• 4 EA-6B - Tactical Electronics Warfare Squadron 139
• 4 E-2C - Carrier Early Warning Squadron 113
• 6 S-3B - Sea Control Squadron 35
• 2 ES-3B- Fleet Reconnaissance Squadron 5
• 2 HH-60H - Helicopter Squadron 4
• 2 SH-60F - Helicopter Squadron 4
• USS Enterprise (CVN 65) - homeport: Norfolk, Va.
• Commander Cruiser Destroyer Group 12/Commander Destroyer Squadron 20
• Commander Carrier Air Wing Seventeen (Aircraft numbers are approximate)
• 22 F/A-18C - Strike Fighter Squadrons (VFA) 81 and 83
• 14 F-14D - Fighter Squadron (VF) 103
• 13 A-6E - Attack Squadron 75
• 4 EA-6B - Tactical Electronics Warfare Squadron 132
• 4 E-2C - Carrier Early Warning Squadron 125
• 6 S-3B - Sea Control Squadron 30
• 2 ES-3A- Fleet Reconnaissance Squadron 6
• 3 HH-60H - Helicopter Squadron 15
• 3 SH-60F - Helicopter Squadron 15

The armament loadout available to a typical carrier airwing included 4,600,000 pounds of air launched missiles, laser-guided bombs, general purpose bombs and ammunition including: Harpoon, HARM, Maverick, Sidewinder, Sparrow, Walleye, AMRAAM, Shrike, SLAM, Phoenix, and the Vulcan 20mm cannon.

Guided Missile Cruisers
• USS Arkansas (CGN 41) - homeport: Bremerton, Wa.
• USS California (CGN 36) - homeport: Bremerton, Wa.
• USS Gettysburg (CG 64) - homeport: Mayport, Fla.*
• USS Shiloh (CG 67) - homeport: San Diego, Calif.*
• USS Valley Forge (CG 50) - homeport: San Diego, Calif.

Attack Submarines
• USS Jefferson City (SSN 759) - homeport: San Diego, Calif.*
• USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) - homeport: Groton, Conn.*

Destroyers
• USS Hewitt (DD 966) - homeport: Yokosuka, Japan*
• USS Laboon (DDG 58) - homeport: Norfolk, Va.*
• USS O'Brien (DD 975) - homeport: Yokosuka, Japan*
• USS Russell (DDG 59) - homeport: Pearl Harbor, Hi.*
• USS Stump (DD 978) - homeport: Norfolk, Va. *

Guided Missile Frigates
• USS Crommelin (FFG 37) - homeport: Pearl Harbor, Hi.
• USS Doyle (FFG 39) - homeport: Mayport, Fla.
• USS Jarrett (FFG 33) - homeport: San Diego, Ca.
• USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG 29) - homeport: Pascagoula, Miss.
• USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) - homeport: San Diego, Calif.

Mine Countermeasures Ships
• USS Ardent (MCM 12) - 5th Fleet, rotating crews
• USS Dextrous (MCM 13) - 5th Fleet, rotating crews

Fast Combat Support Ships
• USS Camden (AOE 2) - homeport: Bremerton, Wash.
• USS Supply (AOE 6) - homeport: Norfolk, Va.

Military Sealift Command
• USNS Catawba (T-ATF 168) - homeport: Oakland, Calif.
• USNS Kane (T-AGS 27)
• USNS Niagara Falls (T-AFS 3) - homeport: Oakland, Calif.
• USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) - homeport: Oakland, Calif.

U.S. Coast Guard
• USCG Morgenthau (WHEC 722) - homeport: Alameda, Calif.

* Tomahawk capable

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-USN- Operation Desert Strike Round Two
IN THE ARABIAN GULF (NNS)
President Clinton late Tuesday evening ordered three Navy surface combatants and a submarine in the Arabian Gulf to launch a second strike of 17 Tomahawk cruise missiles against selected air defense targets in Iraq.
The Navy strike was delivered by USS Russell (DDG 59), USS Hewitt (DD 966), USS Laboon (DDG 58) and USS Jefferson City (SSN759). Their mission was to complete the suppression of Iraq's air defense facilities which could potentially remain in operation after the initial strike early Tuesday morning.
President Clinton also announced the southern "No Fly" zone in Iraq was extended northward to the 33rd parallel. According to DoD officials, the larger "No Fly" zone will make it easier for the United States and its coalition partners to contain Saddam Hussein's aggression.
USS Shiloh (CG 67), USS Laboon (DDG 58) and Air Force B52 bombers flying from Guam launched 27 cruise missiles during the initial strike yesterday. The B-52s were provided F-14D fighter escorts from the USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70).
The attacks were designed to reduce the risks to pilots who began enforcing the expanded "No Fly" zone at noon today (Wednesday). Aircraft from the USS Carl Vinson are currently patrolling that expanded zone.
President Clinton approved a military response to Iraqi attacks against the Kurds Monday. Speaking at a press conference from the White House Tuesday morning, he said, "Our objectives are limited, but clear. To make Saddam pay a price for the latest act of brutality, and to reduce his ability to threaten his neighbors and America's interest."
USS Hewitt and USS Laboon are part of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Battle Group that moved into the northern Arabian Gulf last week in response to escalating activity by Iraqi ground forces. USS Russell and Jefferson City are operating as part of the maritime interception force under U.S. Fifth Fleet command.
The following ships are currently deployed to the Arabian Gulf: USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), USS Arkansas (CGN 41), USS California (CGN 36), USS Shiloh (CGN 67), USS Laboon (DDG 58), USS Hewitt (DD 966), USS Crommelin (FFG 37), USS Camden (AOE 2), USS Tarawa (LHA 1), USS Duluth (LPD 6), USS Rushmore (LSD 47), USS Ardent (MCM 12), USS Dextrous (MCM 13), USS Doyle (FFG 39), USS Russell (DDG 59), USS Vandegrift (FFG 48), USS Jefferson City (SSN 759), USNS Catawba (TATF 168), USNS Niagara Falls (TAFS 3) and USNS Tippecanoe (TAO 99).
Web Posted 12 September 1996

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-USN- NAVNEWS 046/96 NNS4601.
USS Carl Vinson returns home from deployment.
SAN FRANCISCO (NWSA) -- Hundreds of family members, friends and relatives were on hand to greet USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), when it returned to its home port at Naval Air Station, Alameda, Calif., Nov. 14 following a six month deployment to the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Arabian Gulf.
During the aircraft carrier's deployment, the ship participated in Operations Desert Strike and Southern Watch. The Carl Vinson Task Group includes the guided missile cruisers USS Arkansas (CGN 41), USS California (CGN 36) and USS Shiloh (CG 67), fast combat support ship USS Camden (AOE 2), guided missile frigate USS Crommelin (FFG 37) and attack submarines USS Jefferson City (SSN 759) and USS Hawkbill (SSN 666).
The ships departed from their respective home ports in mid-May for transit across the Pacific Ocean and enjoyed a number of port calls in Southeast Asia.
The ships steamed through the Indian Ocean, transited the Strait of Hormuz and took station in the Arabian Gulf in early July. While there, Carl Vinson was command and control ship for exercise "Rugged Nautilus," a joint, short-notice exercise designed to showcase U.S. ability to rapidly mobilize a flexible force which could operate independent of regional base support.
Sept. 3 and 4, Carl Vinson's Task Group was participating in Operation Southern Watch when it was directed to conduct Operation Desert Strike against targets in Southern Iraq. USS Shiloh and USS Laboon launched a Tomahawk cruise missile attack while F-14D Tomcats from Carl Vinson's embarked Carrier Air Wing 14 provided escort protection for U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers traveling over the Arabian Gulf. The following morning, additional ships from the Task Force fired Tomahawks to complete the operation.
Carl Vinson completed its three-month Arabian Gulf tour by enforcing the expanded no-fly zone in Southern Iraq, before being relieved on station by USS Enterprise (CVN 65) in early October.
The task group then headed south for port calls throughout the South Pacific and Australia.
Before returning home, Carl Vinson arrived in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and hosted the change of command ceremony for Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

USS CARL VINSON BATTLE GROUP TO RETURN FROM DEPLOYMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rel. No. 15-96
November 8, 1996
(San Diego, Ca.) -- More than 7,000 sailors and airmen will begin returning to their homeports and bases next week from a six-month overseas deployment as part of the USS Carl Vinson Battle Group. The Alameda-based aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), with Battle Group Commander Rear Admiral Edward Moore, Jr., Commander Cruiser Destroyer Group THREE embarked and San Diego-based ships USS Shiloh (CG 67) and USS Jefferson City (SSN 759) will arrive in San Diego on Tuesday, November 12. Also embarked in USS Carl Vinson is the staff of Commander Destroyer Squadron Five, based in San Diego.
Aircraft from Carrier Air Wing FOURTEEN, embarked aboard USS Carl Vinson, participated in Operation Desert Strike in September 1996 when U.S. forces launched air strikes against military targets in Iraq. USS Shiloh also took part in Operation Desert Strike on September 3, firing 6 Tomahawk missiles against military targets in Iraq.
San Diego-based aviation squadrons returning with the Battle Group include, Sea Control Squadron 35 (S-3 Viking), Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 Detachment (C-2 Greyhound), Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 5 Detachment (ES-3 Shadow), and Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 4 (SH-60/HH-60 Seahawk), based at NAS North Island, and Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 113 (E-2C Hawkeye), based at NAS Miramar.
Following the San Diego-based squadrons' offload, USS Carl Vinson will depart San Diego on the evening of November 12 to arrive in her homeport of Alameda on Thursday, November 14. The Battle Group has been been forward deployed to a variety of regions for the past six months including the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf.
Other Ships/Aviation Squadrons Returning to West Coast Homeports/Air Stations:
Ships:
USS California (CGN 36) -- Guided Missile Cruiser -- Bremerton, WA USS Arkansas (CGN 41) -- Guided Missile Cruiser -- Bremerton, WA USS Camden (AOE 2) -- Fast Combat Support Ship -- Bremerton, WA USS Crommelin (FFG 37) -- Guided Missile Frigate -- Pearl Harbor, HI USS Hawkbill (SSN 666) -- Fast Attack Submarine -- Pearl Harbor, HI Aviation Squadrons: Strike-Fighter Squadrons 25 and 113 -- (F/A-18 Hornet) -- NAS Lemoore, CA Attack Squadron 196 (A-6E Intruder) -- NAS Whidbey Island, WA Electronic Warfare Squadron 139 (EA-6B Prowler) -- NAS Whidbey Island, WA

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-USN-13 November 1996 Return from WesPac
CALIFORNIA (CGN 36) continued a WestPac deployment with the CARL VINSON (CVN 70) Battle Group in the Persian and Arabian gulfs from September into October. Calling at Melbourne, Australia, 20-25 October, she returned to her homeport of Bremerton, Washington, on 13 November.

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-USN- NAVY WIRE SERVICE - A WIRE (NWSA) - 17 July 1997 - NWSA2743.
Pacific Surface Fleet announces Green "H" winners courtesy of BUMED Public Affairs
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NWSA) -- Naval Surface Force Pacific has announced this year's winners of the Annual Wellness Award, also known as the Green "H."
Commands are presented the Green "H" based on the fitness of their Sailors and the health promotion activities they participate in, such as tobacco cessation, weight control, pregnancy awareness, injury prevention, and anger and stress management. The winning ships are entitled to paint a large green "H" on their bridge wing.
In his message to the fleet, Commander, Naval Surface Force Pacific, VADM Alexander J. Krekich congratulated the winners, stating they had "pioneered a new way of thinking: preventive maintenance of our most important asset -- our Sailors."
Winning ships are:
USS Arkansas (CGN 41), USS California (CGN 36), USS Coronado (AGF 11), USS Denver (LPD 9), USS Essex (LHD 2), USS Ford (FFG 54), USS Harry W. Hill (DD 986), USS Kinkaid (DD 965), USS Merrill (DD 976), RSO San Diego (TAFS 6), USS Sacramento (AO 1), USS Stethem (DDG 63), USS Benfold (DDG 65), USS Chandler (DDG 996), USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG 60), USS Elliot (DD 967), USS Fletcher (DD 992), USS Germantown (LSD 42), USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53), USS McCluskey (FFG 41), USS Oldendorf (DD 972), USS Russell (DDG 59), USS Shiloh (CG 67), USS Tarawa (LHA 1), USS Valley Forge(CG 50), USS Wadsworth(FFG 9), USS Vandergrift (FFG 48), and USS Willamette (A0 180).

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From: US Navy BUPERS
FY97 / Tentative FY 99 Ship and Air Squadron Decommissionings.

1. AS A FOLLOW-UP TO REF A, THIS NAVADMIN PROVIDES FY98 AND KNOWN FY99 SHIP AND AIRCRAFT SQUADRON DECOMMISSIONINGS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. SPECIFIC DECOMMISSIONING DATE FOR EACH UNIT IS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE FLEET COMMANDER, WITHIN THE MONTH NOTED.

2. NUCLEAR SHIPS REPORT TO INACTIVATION FACILITY FOR STANDDOWN WITHIN THE GIVEN MONTH, FOLLOWED BY DECOMMISSIONING.

3. DECOM SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS:

4. DECOMMISSIONING DATES AND WINDOWS APPROVED PREVIOUSLY BY OPNAV SPONSORS VIA SEPCOR REMAIN IN EFFECT. DECOMMISIONING WINDOWS PROMULGATED HERE ARE LIMITED TO WITHIN THE MONTH OF THE PROPOSED DECOM DATE. MODIFICATIONS TO PREVIOUSLY APPROVED DATES WILL BE CONSIDERED BY WARFARE SPONSORS AS BEFORE. ACCELERATION OF DECOMMISSIONING WILL NORMALLY BE APPROVED. REQUESTS FOR DELAYS MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE UNDERSTANDING THAT FURTHER OPERATING AND MANPOWER FUNDS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FROM OPNAV.

5. PER CNO DIRECTIVE, THIS MESSAGE WILL BE UPDATED QUARTERLY.

6. RELEASED BY VADM C. C. LAUTENBACHER.//

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From: Drug Reform Coordination Network

15 January 1998--Nuclear Cruiser USS California Deployed in Drug War

The USS California, one of only two nuclear-powered cruisers remaining in service for the US Navy, will spend its last year before being decommissioned patrolling the seas for drug smugglers. The California is currently on its way to Panama. It will spend time in both the Caribbean and in the Pacific monitoring naval traffic and intercepting suspected drug smugglers before returning to its base in Bramerton. It will be decommissioned in early 1999.

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From:US Coast Guard OPERATIONS HIGHLIGHTS Issued March 11, 1998
GO FAST - 110 MILES NORTH OF PANAMA

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-USN-
22 June 1998 NNS2502. USS Carl Vinson underway for RIMPAC `98 By USS Carl Vinson Public Affairs BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) departed Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash., June 22 for a seven- week underway period. After picking up Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11 in San Diego, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will cruise to Hawaiian waters to take part in RIMPAC `98. Two other Bremerton-based warships will accompany Carl Vinson to take part in the exercise: USS California (CGN 36) and USS Rainier (AOE 7). More than 50 ships, 200 aircraft and 25,000 U.S. Navy, Air Force, Marine, Army and Coast Guard men and women will be involved in the month-long exercise starting July 6. Besides United States Forces, five other nations are participating in this major pacific maritime exercise. The exercise brings together naval forces of Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United States. RIMPAC `98 is the sixteenth in a series of Pacific Naval operations conducted every two years. The exercise is designed to enhance the tactical capabilities of participating nations in major naval training operations at sea.* it is designed to exercise realistic theater-level operations. A major objective is to improve the readiness and efficiency of each of the participating units.

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