Kearsarge leads way for ships heading across Atlantic
The Kearsarge leads a seven-ship task force headed toward the Middle East with about 5,000 sailors and 7,000 Marines. The ships received sudden early-deployment orders and sailed from Hampton Roads last weekend as part of the U.S. military buildup for a possible war with Iraq.
This week, the task force's flagship passed a crash course far more grueling than any formal exercise. In a three-day span, the Kearsarge's 1,200 sailors and 1,700 Marines packed the ship to the rafters with more than 100 trucks, thousands of weapons, 141 tons of supplies and dozens of aircraft, including helicopters and Harrier jets.
And they did it without anyone falling overboard or getting crushed. In fact, no one received an injury requiring more than a Band-Aid.
Somewhere just ahead is the edge of the continental shelf, and later the heart of the Atlantic. And beyond that? Not even Kearsarge commander McKnight knows.
For now, the only thing the ship's sailors are sure of is that they've skipped the preliminaries and are, as they say, ``haze gray and under way.''
Keep Your Head Down and Spirits Up Tarheel and the Group!!!
Hog
