The six-ship Nimitz battle group and 8,000 sailors will depart Monday to join the mounting U.S. presence in the Persian Gulf, Navy officials said Thursday.
Means two of the three carrier homeported at North Island will be ordered to sea... they're not screwing around
The San Diego-based ships Nimitz, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with a 5,500-member crew and 70 aircraft; the cruiser Princeton; and the destroyer Fitzgerald will sail out of the bay starting at 9 a.m. The Chosin, a cruiser from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; the frigate Rodney M. Davis from Everett, Wash.; and the ammunition ship Bridge from Bremerton, Wash., will join the group in the Pacific.
Usually there's a sub attached as well
The Nimitz group is leaving several weeks early for a scheduled six-month deployment to join the buildup for a possible war with Iraq. The flotilla will steam to the Arabian Sea, a trip that will take at least 30 days, not including any port calls.
Probably more as a relief to the ships that have been there long term
Three San Diego-based air squadrons from North Island Naval Air Station will accompany the ships. Sea Control Squadron 29, an S-3B Viking unit; Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 6, flying HH-60H Sea Hawks; and a detachment from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30, a C-2A Greyhound unit, will depart with the battle group. |