Curts (FFG 38) - Naval Cruise Book

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CURTS RUGBl 38

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USS CURTS FFG 38 RED SEA-PERSIAN GULF-RIMPAC NOVEMBER 17, 1993- JULY 5, 1994 On a cold November morning, the Officers and Crew of the Guided Missile Frigate CURTS said goodbye to their families and crossed the brow to begin a four month journey on the high seas. Commanding Officer Martin L. Moody gave the order to take in all lines and the 38 SPECIAL was underway. During the first week underway, the crew settled in and completed a rigorous schedule which included numerous General Quarters drills. The twenty seventh day of November marked the first of several holidays CURTS would experience underway. This thanksgiving was made bearable by the outstanding meals and creative mess deck decorations provided by MSC Barnes and his jolly band of cooks and food service attendants. Excitement and anticipation was to soon fill the ship as the crew braced itself for the upcoming port call to exotic Pattaya Beach, Thailand. For CURTS ' saltier WESTPAC sailors, this was a return to one of the best liberty ports in the Far East. For the booters and shower shoes, It was a first taste of what the recruiters had described as . . . an experience you will never forget. Simply put, the men of the CURTS enjoyed liberty In Pattaya. From Pattaya, CURTS headed west with the Independence (Indy) Battle Group. CURTS de- tached from the Indy Battle Group while in the North Arabian Sea and continued west to join forces with the U.S. Central Command to conduct Visit, Boarding, Search and Seizure (VBSS) op- erations in the Red Sea. CURTS was a crucial cog in these operations, which entailed boarding merchant vessels in support of the United Nations embargo against Iraq. CURTS completed eighty six (86) boardings in a period of three weeks. While assigned to the Central Command, Ad- miral Kelso, the Chief of Naval Operations, visited CURTS. In his discussions with the crew, he re- marked on how well the CURTS performed in the Red Sea. Liberty in the Red Sea was limited to an Egyptian port called Hurghada. While not as exotic as Pattaya Beach, the crew still found ways I to enjoy their liberty in Hurghada. After completing her mission in the Red Sea, CURTS rejoined the Indy Battle Group In the Ara- bian Gulf. Enroute to the Gulf, CURTS made a brief stop for fuel in the small port of Djibouti. The crew enjoyed a steel beach picnic while the ship was refueled. Once back with the Indy Battle Group, CURTS pulled into Jebal AN and enjoyed a ten day tender availability with the USS ACADIA. Jebal All is about a forty five minute drive from Dubai, a country noted for it ' s numerous jewelers and merchants selling their wares in the world famous marketplace called the GOLD SOUK . After leaving Jebal AN, the crew ' s thoughts concerned returning to Yokosuka as quickly as pos- 40