- 21 Nov. Enterprise (CVN-65) flys daily missions in Iraq.
- 11 Nov. Kennedy (CV 67) got underway for 5 days of sea trials after a one year
overhaul.
- 5 Nov. Nimitz (CVN-68) to return to San Diego.
- 24 Oct. Iwo Jima ARG returns to Norfolk -- Iwo Jima (LHD-7), Nashville (LPD-13), Carter Hall (LSD-50).
- 2 Oct. Enterprise Carrier Strike Group (CSG) begins deployment to
Arabian Gulf: Enterprise (CVN-65) with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, Philippine Sea (CG 58) , Gettysburg (CG 64) and the combat logistics ship Detroit (AOE 4).
- 1 Oct. With decommession of the amphibious ship Anchorage (LSD-36), the Navy's fleet of warships shrank to its smallest size since before World War I.
- 29 Sep. Carter Hall (LSD-50) and Nashville (LPD-13) have left Liberia.
- 15 Sep. Carl Vinson (CVN-70) stopped at San Diego
before returning to its homeport in Washington after 6-month tour.
- 5 Sep. Skyship 600B Santos Dumont begins a three-month demonstration.
The 190 feet blimp will test the capabilities of the LASH system of
electronic coastal watching.
- 29 Aug. Enterprise (CVN-65) strike group leaves port for training preparatory for a flexible deployment. Accompanying the slimmed down task force are the guided missile cruisers Philippine Sea (CG-58) and Gettysburg (CG-64) and the combat logistics ship Detroit (AOE-4). The destroyer Sarandi, from Argentina, also will participate. The Enterprise is to be the first carrier not to train at Vieques; but
will practice attacks on Carolina. Meanwhile, a Federal judge limits Navy use of sonar amid marine life concerns.
- 27 Aug. Navy seeking bids for a new class of small, 1,900 ton, high speed, coastal warship. Called Littoral Combat Ships, They will be the size of pre-war and Fletcher class
destroyers, yet manned with less than 30 men.
- 26 Aug. ESG-1 sails from San Diego towards Pearl Harbor to join with other ships.
The new unit is expected to return in April 2004.
- 25 Aug. ESG-3 begins training; consisting of three amphibious ready group ships, Belleau Wood (LHA 3), Denver (LPD 9), and Comstock (LSD 45), joined for the first time by Mobile Bay (CG 53), Preble (DDG 88), Hopper (DDG 70) and a submarine Greeneville (SSN 772).
- 16 Aug. Virginia (SSN-774) christened, first in her class; to commission July'04.
- 8 Aug. Expeditionary Strike Group - 1 (ESG-1) approved for operations:
Germantown (LSD-42) Port Royal (CG-73) Greenville (SSN-772)
Peleliu (LHA-5) Decatur (DDG-73)
Ogden (LPD -5) Jarrett (FFG-33)
- 7 Aug. Constellation (CV-64) decommissions.
- 6 Aug. Kennedy (CV-67) to return to service Sept 22 after 8-month refurbish.
- 25 July. Liberia.
The Iwo Jima Amphibious Response Group has been ordered from the Mediterranean, and officials said it would take several days to reach Liberia's coast. The ARG left Norfolk Mar 1.
Iwo Jima (LHD-7), an amphibious assault ship that is capable of carrying 1,900 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, plus 30 helicopters and six to eight AV-8B Harrier fighter planes.
The other two ships that will join are the Nashville (LPD-13), an amphibious transport ship used to launch a landing force of Marines ashore, and the Carter Hall (LSD-50), which transports air-cushioned landing craft and other amphibious craft.
- July 19. San Antonio (LPD-17) christened, first of a new class (last 1965-71).
- July 12. Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) commissioning ceremony.
- July 7. Acceptance trials for Ronald Reagan (CVN-76). One year shake down, the home port West Coast.
- June 2 .Constellation (CV-64) returns to San Diego. To decommission this year.
- May . Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) to return to Norfolk by month-end.
- May 6 . Kitty Hawk (CV-63) to return to home port in Japan.
- May 5 . Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) begins builder's sea trials.
- May 4 . Enterprise (CVN-65) completes 16-month overhaul, ready for sea trials.
- May 2 . Lincoln (CVN-72) dropped off air crews in San Diego, departs next day for home, Everett, WA.
- April 25. Truman (CVN-75) to return a few weeks early.
- April 24. This was the last cruise of the Constellation (CV-64) to decommission this summer.
- April 15. Fast-attack submarine Boise (SSN-764) is the first to return for the war having fired Tomahawks into Iraq.
- April 14. Two carrier groups to head home. Kitty Hawk (CV-63), soon to be the last non-nuclear powered carrier in service, will return to her home port Yokosuka, Japan.
Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) heads home after an extended deployment.
April 12. Portland (LSD-37) returns to Little Creek, VA.
April 10. Nimitz (CVN-68) arrives in Persian Gulf.
- Phase 2 : March 31 - April 12
- Combat : Phase 1 , March 19-30
- March 22. Dozens of U.S. ships carrying weaponry of Army's 4th Infantry Division will head to the Persian Gulf after waiting weeks
off Turkey's coast. They were refused permission to cross Turkish territory.
The cruisers Bunker Hill and Valley Forge and the destroyers Higgins and Milius of the Constellation battle group; and Mobile Bay - are
known to have taken part in the massive Tomahawk missile firing of Shock and Awe.
- March 21. Port and coastal well heads seized by 1st Marines and British troops. Army moves north.
- March 20. The borders are crossed while negotiations are made for surrender of Iraqi divisions.
- March 19. Ship launched cruise missiles strike at Saddam. Changes entire war plan.
- March 18. A Kuwaiti gunboat challenged a flotilla of about 25 Iraqi dhows in the mouth of the Khawr al-Zubayr river. The boats failed to respond and the Kuwaitis opened fire.
It was unclear whether the dhows had laid any mines. The Royal Navy has four mine counter-measure vessels searching the waterway.
- March 15. Constellation (CV-64) and Lincoln (CVN-72) battle groups scheduled return is delayed.
- March 14. Ten or more ships are moving out of the Mediterranean into the Red Sea, where they could launch cruise missiles without going over Turkey. An advanced force has transited the Suez Canal : Burke (DDG-51), Deyo (DD-989), Boise (SSN-764), Toledo (SSN-769) and San Juan (SSN-751).
A US carrier Carl Vincent (CVN-70) is reported to be in North Pacific
(read, near Korea), not on a direct route to the Persian Gulf.
- March 13.
Five of the 12 operational U.S. carriers, are in and around the Gulf or in the Eastern Mediterranean within striking distance of Iraq. A sixth U.S. carrier is on its way. In addition, the British Royal Navy in Bahrain, said: "In effect, we have two additional floating airfields," referring to one of three Invincible class carriers, Ark Royal, and a British helicopter carrier, Ocean. The RN has 30 other vessels in the Gulf, including four destroyers and a pair of Tomahawk-missile bearing submarines.
- March 5 .
USS Bridge, a fast combat support ship, 754-foot-long with crew of more than 650 sailors, carries ammunition, food and fuel, is joining the Nimitz battle group in the Persian Gulf.
- March 4. Hampton Roads Deployment Chart.
- March 3. Lincoln (CVN-72) deployment approaches its 8th month, left Everett, WA, on July 20, is one of the longest of a carrier since the 1980s. There are nearly 100 Navy ships in the Persian Gulf area.
- March 1.
Iwo Jima amphibious ready group will begin leaving Tuesday in what is likely to be the last large deployment from Hampton Roads in preparation for a possible war with Iraq. Ships in the ARG are amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima (LHD-7), amphibious transport dock Nashville (LPD-13), and the dock landing ship Carter Hall (LSD-50).
The three-ship group, carrying more than 4,000 sailors from Hampton Roads and Marines from N. Carolina, will contribute to the 43 ships in the Middle East from Hampton Roads.
- Feb 28. Nimitz battle group of six ships and 8,000 sailors will depart Monday to join five other aircraft carriers
deployed to the Persian Gulf area. The San Diego-based ships are Nimitz (CVN-68), Princeton (CG-59), and Fitzgerald (DDG-62).
- Feb 26. USCGC Dallas (WHEC-716), a 378-foot high endurance cutter has been ordered to deploy overseas to support Operation Enduring Freedom. Boutwell (WHEC 719)– another 378-foot cutter deployed Jan. 3.
- Feb 25. George Washington CVN-73 entered a shipyard for overhaul thereby removing her as a ship that would be called against Iraq.
- Feb 20. 2,500 sailors and 2,300 Marines of the Nassau Amphibious Ready Group have had their six-month deployment extended
aboard Nassau(LHA-4), Austin (LPD-4), and Tortuga (LSD-46).
Currently, the ships are near the Horn of Africa conducting anti-terrorism operations with a 10-ship naval task force including forces from Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain and the U.S.
- Feb 16. Yokosuka based Kitty Hawk (CV-63) and other ships in the battle group are en route to the Persian Gulf region, where they are to join four other U.S. carrier groups apparently preparing for an attack on Iraq.
- Feb 14. Canada will commit 1,500 soldiers to Afghanistan in mid-year and may assume command rather than supporting invasion of Iraq.
- Feb 13. Military vehicles and 250 helicopters and are being loaded on the USNS Bob Hope. The USNS Bob Hope, USNS Fisher, and USNS Bellatrix had taken trucks and bridge sections but not combat vehicles in late October.
- Feb 10. Amphibian Task Force East - the Gator Navy - carrying the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade of 7,000 marines is exercising in Djibouti on the African side of the Gulf of Aden. Bataan, Saipan, Kearsarge, big deck ships (LHD) with attack jets, and smaller Ashland, Portland, Gunston Hall, Ponce, (LSD) and command ship Mount Whitney (LCC-20) with escorts make up the East Coast task force. A similar force also sailed from the U.S. West Coast last month. (see Jan 14)
- Feb 7. French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle quietly headed for the eastern Mediterranean last week.
February 07, 2003
- Feb 6. USS Nimitz (CVN-68) got under way for two days of routine training off S. California.
- Feb 5. The Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) battle group is now certified for deployment; she headed immediately for the Middle East with 11 more ships.
- Feb 4. Navy plans to cut two dozen ships out of service by September 2004, leaving 292 ships of which 103 will be cruisers, destroyers and other surface ships. Spruance-class destroyers will account for the bulk of the cuts. Part of the savings will go towards
new technology ships like the aircraft carrier, CVN-21.
- Feb 3. Cape Ray called to active duty joining 36 activated MARAD ships from the ready reserve and the Navy's MSC 125 cargo ships.
- Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is moving towards Gulf.
- January 31. The 11-ship battle group led by the Theodore
Roosevelt (CVN-71) will report directly overseas after training
under way in Puerto Rico ends in early February, without returning
to their home port.
- January 30.
Photos of Gulf patrol.
- Photos by Adam Butler, AP.
- January 28. The Coast Guard is expected to deploy 8 of
its 110-foot Island Class patrol boats (WPB) and more than
600 personnel to the Persian Gulf. Firebolt, Chinook, others.
- January 27. Florida (SSBN-728) is testing conventional
missile launches prior to conversion to that duty later this year.
Ballistic missile submarines can carry 20 times the volume of Attack
subs, 1/3 of the Tomahawk missiles fired into Afghanistan during
Operation Enduring Freedom came for U.S. and Br. submarines. Two
of a new Virginia (SSN-774) class attack submarines are planned
to join the fleet each year.
- January 24.
Two large, high-speed cargo ships are being loaded with tanks,
Humvees, fuel tankers, armored vehicles and all the equipment needed
to keep a modern army moving in battle. These are not sleek warships
– far from it, yet nearly as big as an aircraft carrier.
Antares (AKR-294) will leave today for the Persian Gulf.
Pollux (AKR-290) will begin loading today.
Curtiss, a smaller and slower vessel, has already left
San Diego, loaded with maintenance equipment and spare parts for a
Marine Corps air wing.
A week ago, a flotilla of six Navy amphibious ships, loaded with
nearly 10,000 Marines and sailors, left San Diego bound for the
Persian Gulf. In coming weeks, the majority of the 45,000-strong 1st
Marine Expeditionary Force, with headquarters at Camp Pendleton,
also will deploy to the gulf. An estimated 60,000 U.S. military
personnel are in the region with another 60,000 due within a month.
- January 23.
Arthur W. Radford (DDG-968), Barry (DDG-52), and
Kauffman (FFG-59) ended six months in the Mediterranean Sea
and Persian Gulf where they had been part of the George
Washington CVN-73 battle group.
- January 22. Defense Secretary Rumsfield has ordered two more carrier groups
to deploy to the Gulf region, joining Harry S. Truman in the Mediterranean
and Constellation in the Persian Gulf.
Navy sources say they will be the Theodore Roosevelt,
now training off Vieques, PR, and Abraham Lincoln, currently near Sydney,
Australia. Kitty Hawk, forward deployed in Japan, is also available.
The carrier Carl Vinson, exercising off the West Coast, will likely sail
to maintain a presence near Japan (Korea). Six carriers were deployed in the 1991
Persian Gulf War. George Washington, recently returned from duty and retained
on standby, now is expected to enter Newport News shipyard for scheduled maintenance.
Kearsarge 7 ship task force with 5,000 sailors and
7,000 marines will get smallpox vaccinations this week.
- January 16. Virginia Pilot Chart: Hampton Roads military forces at sea
Hampton Roads has a considerably smaller force to pick from today than in 1991.
Then, 147 warships were assigned to the region, compared to 104 last year,
and then 110,000 active duty Navy and Marine Corps personnel compared to 82,000 now.
-
January 14. Seven ships are loading up with Marines on the West Coast.
Boxer LHD-4
Bonhomme Richard LHD-6
Cleveland LPD-7
Dubuque LPD-8
Anchorage LSD-36
Comstock LSD-45
Pearl Harbor LSD-52
Six carrier groups are
available if needed. -- press report.
Constellation CV -64 Persian Gulf
Vinson CVN-70 Left Bremerton Jan 13 for exercises in Pacific
Roosevelt CVN-71 Training off Vieques Island, Jan 9
Lincoln CVN-72 Perth, Australia, ending tour
Washington CVN-73 Norfolk, just returned, remains ready.
Truman CVN-75 Mediterranean
Where are the rest of the carriers?
Kitty Hawk CV -63 Yokosuka, Japan, returned Dec. 13 (Korea)
Enterprise CVN-65 Norfolk, returned Nov'02
Kennedy CV -67 Florida, returned from 6-mo Arabian Sea, Aug'02
Nimitz CVN-68 Left San Diego for training Jan 10
Eisenhower CVN-69 Norfolk, out of drydock Dec 15
Stennis CVN-74 San Diego, returned from 6-mo Arabian Sea, May'02
- January 13. Four more ships left Norfolk and Little Creek to pick up Marines.
Ashland LSD-48
Portland LSD-39
Bataan LHD-5
Kearsarge LHD-3
- January 11. Thirteen ships deployed from Norfolk: two are
Amphibious Ready Groups; two are MCS groups.
Iwo Jima LHD-7 one month early
Nashville LPD-13
Carter Hall LSD-50
Saipan LHA-2 seven months early
Ponce LPD-15
Gunston Hall LSD-44 to pick up 7,000 Marines
Bataan LHD-5 is picking up ammunition
Chinook PC-9
Firebolt PC-10
Joint venture HSV-X1
Two groups of Military Sealift Command transports:
USNS Seay AKR-302 Vehicle Cargo Ship ,
USNS Medonca AKR-303 , and
USNS Gilliland AKR-298 departed for other ports to pickup equipment
USNS Gordon AKR-296 ,
USNS Red Cloud AKR-313 , and
USNS Watson AKR-310 have returned to reload.
- Jan 10. The aircraft carrier Nimitz flotilla went to sea yesterday for a final tuneup before
possible deployment to the Persian Gulf. The training ends Jan. 29.
Nimitz (CVN-68)
Princeton (CG-59)
Chosin (CG-65)
Antietam (CG-54)
Lassen (DDG-82)
Fitzgerald (DDG-62)
Rodney M. Davis (FFG-60)
Bridge (AOE-10)
Marines from Camp Pendleton loading supplies and vehicles aboard seven amphibious vessels.
- Jan 9, 2003. USNS Comfort (AH-20) departs Baltimore for Indian Ocean.
The Comfort is a 894-foot, 69,000-ton former commercial tanker that has been converted to a hospital ship.
On its way to the Middle East, she diverted to pluck the sole survivor
of a fishing boat about 80 miles northeast of Bermuda.
USS Theodore Roosevelt battle group left from Norfolk for
a month shakedown off Puerto Rico. On completion of training she will remain in the Atlantic,
unless needed for an emergency. She is scheduled to deploy in May. Crew were told to pack now for a 6-month cruise.
Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71
70 aircraft Carrier Air Wing 8
Anzio CG-68
Cape Saint George CG-71
Arleigh Burke DDG-51
Porter DDG-78
Winston Churchill DDG-81
Stump DD-978
Carr FFG-52
USNS Arctic AOE-8 , fast combat support ship
Submarines (2)
- December 16, 2002. The Japanese destroyer Kirishima (DDG) left Yokosuka for the Indian Ocean where it would be supporting the U.S. led war on terrorism.
- Dec 8, 2002.
About 60,000 soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen, as well as
about 200 warplanes, are in or near the region. The Army alone
has 9,000 soldiers, 24 Apache helicopter gunships and heavy
equipment for two armored brigades in Kuwait. Equipment for a
third brigade is steadily arriving on ships usually based in
the Indian Ocean, and some matériel will be stored at a new
$200 million logistics base, Camp Arifjan, south of Kuwait City.
By late next week, four aircraft carriers will be poised to strike
Iraq on short notice, with a fifth in Southeast Asia ready to
steam to the gulf in a crisis.
Two of the carriers, George Washington (CNV-73) and Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), are heading home, but the Navy will keep their crews
together about two weeks longer than the usual 30 days. [till Feb 15?]
- Dec 5, 2002. NORFOLK, Va. Battle Group Deploys
Harry S. Truman - CVN-75
San Jacinto - CAG-57
Mitscher - DDG-57
Donald Cook - DDG-75
Briscoe - DD-977
Deyo - DD-989
Hawes - FFG-53
Kanawha - AO-196 (oiler)
Mount Baker - AE-34 (ammo)
Air Wing three - 80 planes
To relieve George Washington (CVN-73)
