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Carrier fleet leaves US for possible Iraq showdown
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 2002-12-05 |
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