Rushmore (LSD 47) - Naval Cruise Book

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peration Iraqi Freedom On Jann-Wy 6 sous Rughmm-L, dL.l,lUM-tl ll! ,ripping ,rl tlpk-,alltrtt l tnltttttty I tri ill-sir tr- pail til lln' lrttiixta ,Miyphlhmus Ready GFOUP UXRCU lll Lttltlilioll lo lltc Ulllx't'ls rlllkl ctcxx, Rttslrrrrrrrr' latin tl ttrilnrtla tl ilcttrvtilr. liotti lln' li' Murine Expedition-try Unit Special Operations Vapalvlcl. :Xssgttlll t'r.rtt lint N .md llrun lr 'Nl-r-rtrt I tnt I At the end Ofthti fir-sl wcelx lllltlc-1-WQIX . lllg' ,Nlili laslwtl Rllsllllltllt' lo tllalts' .t ltwtit limit strip in l't'.iil llarlnrt, ll,rt-.arg My pick up mail and supplies forthe group. During tltosc lcxr short hom s, countless pallets ul stout--I it cn' r t.nn'rl onto tln- llrght dcclt while the 5hip's Repair Parts Petty Ulliccrs quicltlx torc through the local cconorni in scart lr ol ctr-i r tlnni: clsc thc Xlill rrrqurfcd Following the quick sprint across the Pacilic. tltc .-XRLE pttllcd Illltt I 'lianyi Nix .rl llast' lll5lIl1l,'.lIlUlt'lUl is liat uoultl end up being the last liberty call the Sailors and Marines noultl scc lor months llncc .lax s later tln' slnps X'vL'lt' omc again :noting quickly to the Arabian Gulf. In mid-February. the ARG entered the 5 ' I-'lcct area ol responsibility tht Ilia lln- mood gilnntttl Rnslnnorc underwent a perceptible change as everyone shifted gears lrom training to possible combat operations llrc Inst ordcr til business was offloading the Marines at Kuwait Naval Base tKNl3l, During an all day ct olution on lf Iiclnuary. lrclrcoptci units from USS Tarawa transferred troops while the Lamling Cralt Air t'uslnon iclnclcs tl PM sl moi cd crpnpmcnl lttlllL'xlli1l't'. With the Marines ashore and Ruslimorc's primary mission tlrcrcby complctc. thc cn-xr asstttttctl a largely stand-by role waiting in various boxes, or small designated operating areas. not lar liom tlic coast ol Iraq, Srncc Rushmore carried a large percentage of the area's LCAC assets. the wait didn't last long, illilllllllgl vt rtli llrrtisli land lorccs stntll became a priority as planning continued for a possible invasion ol' Iraq. 'l'l1at planninp had Rnslimoic scrx my as a latmclimp platlorm lor a British amphibious landing on the Al Faw Peninsula. Rnslimorc's l.t'.M s made' mnltrplc trips to Knvtait to practice loading and unloading the British equipment onto the US Navy cralt. 'llrcsc crolutions vt crc tlicmsclx Us itnprcccdcntcd and ucrc necessary to determine the feasibility ol' the planned operation, As thc cml ol March approaclicd and thc prospect ol' xsar became inevitable, the British troops embarked Rushmore and crcryonc waited lor thc order lu 51-o, 'l'lic atmosplicrc was an odd mix of apprehension and amusement: apprehension ol' what was to comc and amuscmcnt that cach ol thc groups found toward the other. The amusement however. was quickly replaced by cold scrionsncss vrlicn thc ordcr linally came. Q.-'li' J 2 9 7 i ,X

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USS Ru hmore CLSD 475 Dv' Gperation Enduring Freedom - Iraqi Freedom .lzmuury 6 - july 13. 2003

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Early on the morning of March 2152 four LCAC's launched from Rushmore, fully armed and loaded, ready to carry the combat ready British force into Iraq. But even as the LCAC's closed the distance to the Iraqi shore, plans began to change as allied forces moved through Iraqi defenses with unanticipated speed. For everyone aboard the LCAC's, this meant that their part of the plan had become fluid. In the end the decision was made for the British forces to drive into Iraq. The LCAC's landed near the Iraqi border in Kuwait and quickly cleared their decks, sending the British troops on their way to where they were needed. With scarcely enough time to rest, a new mission soon presented itself as a result of a major sandstorm that tore through the region shortly after the start of the war. Two Naval Special Warfare Rigid Hull Inflateable Boats CRHIBSJ had run themselves aground off the coast of Iraq. Over the course of the next two days various recovery options were considered for the boats but it was eventually decided that the only effective way to conduct the recovery would be with LCAC,s. Once again, Rushmore was called into action. Early the next moming, two LCAC's departed Rushmore and flew to USS Anchorage CLSD 365 where they picked up Explosive Ordinance Disposal CEODJ personnel and a Naval Construction Battalion loader and operator. Following the short stop, the group continued on toward Iraq. Upon arriving at the boats' location, one craft took up a security watch position while the other launched the EOD group to check for mines in the vicinity of the RHIBS. Once the area was deemed clear, the recovery craft moved in close enough to unreel the loader's winch line. With the LCAC's in position and the route to the objectives clear, it was time for a little fun as nearly everyone jumped in the mud to help haul the line out to the lt' RHIB. By mid-day both boats had been hauled out and retumed to deep water. It was a successful recovery operation and another first for the LCAC's and Rushmore. The rest of the war saw Rushmore spending the majority of the time standing by in her box and carrying out supporting operations for flight ops on the big-deck amphibs. It wasn't long, however, before Rushmore was given her final objective of the war, backload the Marines. The major combat actions of Operation Iraqi Freedom were quickly drawing to completion and the Marines who came halfway across the world with Rushmore would soon be returning. In early June, Rushmore finally departed the Arabian Gulf. The day was marked by what most of the Sailors and Marines remember as the most beautiful evening they had ever seen. The ever-present brown cast of the atmosphere in The Gulf' was finally gone and as the sky turned from a perfect blue into brilliant shades of orange and red, Rushmore made a slow tum east toward home. It would not however, mark the end of Rushmore's missions. On the last full day of the deployment, Rushmore was diverted to carry out the rescue of a civilian on a pleasure boat off the coast of Baja California. The operator of the boat had experienced medical problems and the boat had been adrift for many days. Rushmore took on a helicopter from the Tarawa and made best speed to close the distance between her and the vessel. The rescue was finally carried out and Rushmore resumed her course for home. On July 13th the Marines were offloaded at Camp Pendelton and by early evening the pier at San Diego was finally in sight. Rushmore had missed the fanfare and attention that the other two ships of the ARG had received but the sight of family and friends waiting on the pier more than made up for it. When the word was finally passed, secure from WESTPAC 2003. a cheer went up from the ship and pier that signaled, for everyone, the end of Rushmore's first war-time deployment. -