England (CG 22) - Naval Cruise Book

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It was supposed to be a routine Persian Gulf cruise to demonstrate U.S. Naval presence in that long troubled region. Few could foresee how the events of August 2nd 1 990 would impact upon ENGLAND ' S deployment. Yet Iraq ' s brutal invasion of Kuwait made ENGLAND ' S cruise one to remember. The routine pres- ence blossomed into the event which dominated world attention: OPERA TION DESERT SHIELD STORM . As Iraqi tanks rolled into Kuwait, ENGLAND proceeded at flank speed to the northern Persian Gulf to assume command of both Anti-Air and Anti-Surface Warfare duties. For msn tense and lonely days, ENGLAND was by far the most capable coalition warship in the Gulf The first New Threat Up- grade Crusier in the Pacific Fleet, ENGLAND proved to be extremely well suited to monitor the crowded and potentially hostile airspace of the Persian Gulf The venerable cruiser performed superbly in the harsh Persian Gulf environme nt which included daytime temperatures of 115 degrees and fierce sandstorms. In addition to carrying out her duties as Anti-Air and Anti-Surface Warfare Com- mander in the early days of Desert Shield, ENGLAND was the first ship to interdict and board a vesseLtransiting the Persian Gulf, as part of the multinational Mari- time Interdiction force in support of U. N. sanctions against Iraq. ENGLAND ' s offi- cers and crew were called upon to coordinate multinational surface and air op- erations involving U.S., Australian, British, French, Italian, Spanish, Canadian, Sau- di, Dutch, and Danish naval and air forces. Although breaks from the tension and stress of Operation Desert Shield were few and far between, ENGLAND enjoyed several interesting ports of call during the six month deployment During her 12,000 mile transit to the Persian Gulf, ENGLAND made stops in Singapore, and Peffang Malaysia. Once in the Per- sian Gulf, ENGLAND made port visits to Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, U.A.E. After being relieved by the USS WORDEN on November 2nd, ENGLAND pro- ceeded on her long journey home, pausing for port visits to Phuket Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Hawaii. ENGLAND returned to her favorite port of call, San Diego, on 19 December. After enjoying a well-earned period of leave and relaxation, ENGLAND is already preparing for her next operational assignment. Having reaffirmed her fflready outstanding reputation for operational excellence and combat readiness in the Gulf, ENGLAND ' S crew is diligently preparing itself for the next 2nd of August, whenever and wherever it should come.