America (CV 66) - Naval Cruise Book

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building the tactical surface and air picture, hunting foreign aircraft and launching simulated weapons. Electronic and anti-submarine warfare -.kills were also tested. While our pilots flew missions in support of carrier defense, they also sharpened their high speed skills gunning and bombing weapon ranges. The operators in the anti-submarine warfare module were kept busy by countering the sub-surface threat with even- asset available to them. The radiomen were challenger! with a communications exercise that involved an extremely high volume of message traffic and frequency changes. Deck personnel rigged numerous underway replenishments. Navigators plotted courses through unique and restricted operating areas, and the intelligence analysts worked around-the-clock monitoring scopes and screens to provide the early warnings to alert the Ait boss when to launch planes into action. The list of work centers that tackled increased commitments during the exercise ran from bow to stern. On 15 September. AMERICA entered the coastal confines of northern Norway and operated in some of the long, narrow, mountain-ringed waterways known as the VestQord region of the country (a good place for ships to hide and avoid satellite detection). As the Captain said. If we can operate successfully here in the Arctic Circle where the environment challenges both men and equipment - we can operate anywhere. And operate in this region of the world we must. The Soviet fleet must exit the waters of northern Norway and, not surprisingly. the Pentagon warns that they arc redistributing Conner Soviet Air Force assets and creating nine new Soviet Naval Aviation tactical air regiments in the region in order to avoid being bottled up in their own back yard. Across the spectrum of naval warfare. said Rear Admiral Lewis. Commander Carrier Group Two. “the AMERICA Baltic Group performed absolutely superbly and exceeded my highest expectations. I'm very, very proud of their performance.

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AMERICA and IKE 25 August 91