Peleliu (LHA 5) - Naval Cruise Book

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Jan 16: fcont.l - At 7 p.m. QESTJ, the White House announces that uthe liberation of Kuwait has be- gun. The offensive action against Iraq, Operation De- sert Storm, begins under pro- visions of 12 U.N. Security Council resolutions and reso- lutions of both houses of the U.S. Congress. - following President Bush's address to the nation, SEC- DEF and Army Gen. Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announce at a Pentagon briefing that hun- dreds of U.S. and coalition air strikes on missile and anti-air- cralt targets in Iraq and Ku- wait are to Udestroy Saddam Hussein's offensive capabili- ties. SECDEF reports that 'linitial attacks appear to have gone very, very well. Jan 17: The Navy launches 228 combat sorties on the first day of Desert Storm from six aircraft carriers in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. - First ship-launched Tomo- hawk cruise missiles in com- bat are fired from the USS SAN JACINTO fCG 565 and USS BUNKER HILL KCC: 529 in the Red Sea and Persian Cxulf. Greater gator l ,, ev, L Q :Nami aa wa sp. Mg a ' wa wafa haofway afa d aaafaa aaa ffafa. Wa - we won the war- wa Wed affaaay ffam a Small had aavaf aaa,-a an Courtesy of ALL HANDS THE STORM 15

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12 THE STORM 1990: Aug 2: Iraq invades Kuwait. Eight U.S. Navy Middle East Force Ships are present in the Persian Gulf fcontinuous Middle East pres- ence since 19495. Aug 8: President Bush ordered U.S. Armed Forces to Saudi Arabia. Sep 20: SECDEF announces that, effective Sept. 17, personnel on duty in the Middle East are authorized Imminent Danger Pay. Nov 8: President Bush announces that in addi- tion to the 250,000 troops in the Persian Gulf region, more heavy divisions, Marines and ships will be headed for the Persian Gulf. Nov 29: U.N. Security Council approves reso- lution authorizing use of military force unless Iraq vacates Kuwait by Jan. 15, 1991. Dec 20: U.S. troop strength update: 280,000 in the Middle East region. Reserves called - 127,295. 47,514 Navy, 17,575 Marinesl. 1991: Jan 2: U.S. troop strength update: More than 525,000 in region: 55,000 Navy, 55,000 Ma- rines. Jan 12: Congress approves joint resolution authorizing the use of American military force against Iraq. - Amphibious Group 5, comprised of 15 ships fwith 7,500 Marines ofthe 5th MEB embarkedl arrives on station in the Nolthem Arabian Sea and joins the amphibious groups already on station, creating the largest amphibious task force since the Korean War. Jan 16: - Maritime intercept update: 6,960 challenges: 852 boardings: 56 diver- sions. U.S. Navy ship strength update: 108 total: 54- Persian Gulf, 55- North Arabian Sea fCrulf of Oman, 26- Red Sea, 15-Eastem Mediterranean. - To date, 19 countries have deployed ground forces and 14 nations are partici- pating in naval efforts. - Seventeen anti-ship mines discovered in Persian Gulf since Dec. 21, 1990. Courtesy of ALL HANDS

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, v . I Y , s K- F . Jan 18: The first Iraqi Scud missile lands in Israel, injuring 10 to 12 civilians. Jan 19: President Bush signs authorization to extend call- up of up to 1 million National Guard fReserves for up to two years. DOD raises the ceiling for National C1uardfReserves to 560,000. The Navy's authorization ceiling is raised from 50,000 to 44,000, Marines from 25,000 to 44,000. Jan 29: More than 700,000 coalition air, ground and naval personnel are present in the theater of operation, and more than 110 coalition combatant ships are participating. U.S. troops number more than 490,000. Jan 50: Two weeks into Desert Storm, the Navy has flown more than 5,500 sorties from six carriers and launched more than 260 Tomohawk cruise missiles. Jan 51: More than 52,000 sorties have been flomm 42,600 todayl with no air-to-air losses of U.S. aircraft. Coalition air, ground and naval personnel pass 705,000. U.S. troop strength passes the half-million mark. Feb 5: The battleship MISSOURI fires eight 2,000-pound shells from her 16-inch guns, destroying prefabricated en- emy concrete command and control bunkers Iraq is moving into Kuwait. This marks the first combat firing of MISSOU- RI's 16-inch guns since the Korean War. Feb 4: More than 44,000 sorties have been flovm- approx. one bombing sortie for every minute of Desert Storm oper- ations, including 250 sorties and six B-52 strikes on Repub- lican Cxuard troop positions. . f I f 14 THE STORM Feb 11: The air campaign in Ku- wait is complicat- ed by smoke from more than 50 oil- field fires. DOD suspects Iraq of placing charges on oil wells to cloud the bat- tlefield and mask troop movements. This is in addi- tion to several million barrels of oil dumped into the Persian Gulf by the Iraqi's on Jan. 25 at the Kuwait Sea Island loading terminal. Forty Iraqi aircraft and four helos have been shot dovxm in air-to-air engagements with no U.S. air-to-air losses. 156 Iraqi aircraft have flomm to Iran thus far. Navy and Marine aircraft have flovm more than 15,000 combat sorties since the operation began - 1500 Iraqi tanks, 800 armored vehicles and 1100 artillery pieces are confirmed destroyed in verified bomb damage assessments fapprox. 11 5 of the Iraqi inventory of tanks, APC's, and artil- lery eqpt.I. Feb 14: DOD announces that Iraqi's military sit- uation is precarious. Feb 18: Within three hours of each other, USS TRIPOLI CLPH 119 and USS PRINCETON ICG 595 strike mines while conducting operations in the Northem Persian Gulf. Feb 20: United States has lost 56 aircraft to date C28 fixed wing in combat, five fixed-wing in non- combat mishaps, eight helicopters lost in non- combatl. Coalition has lost 11 aircraft . Feb 21: Marine AV-8Bs conduct bombing runs Courtesy of ALL HANDS