Shasta (AE 33) - Naval Cruise Book

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'Vs waxes: -isvrnmxxi .. AAug. 2: Iraq invades Kuwait. Eight U.S. NHVY Middle East Force ships are present in the Per- sian Gulf fcontinuous Middle East Dle59nC9 since 19493. ' Aug. 6: Defense Secretary iSecDef3 DICK Cheney travels to Saudi Arabia to discuss request for assistance and deployment of U.S. forces in country. SecDef travels also to Egypt and receives permission to send U.S. warships through the Suez Canal. Aug. 7. USS Independence CCV 623 carrier bat- tle group arrives on station in the Gulf of Oman. -USS Dwight D. Eisenhower QCVN 693 carrier battle group transits the Suez Canal en route to the Red Sea. Aug. 8: President Bush orders U.S. Armed Forces to Saudi Arabia. Aug. 14: Advanced elements of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force fMEF3 and the 7th Marine Expeditionary Brigade QMEB3 arrive in Saudi Arabia. Hospital ship USNS Comfort iT-AH 203 deploys for the Middle East. -USS John L. Hall QFFG 323 executes the first maritime intercept by a U.S. warship. Aug. 18: In separate incidents, USS Reid iFFG 303 and USS Robert G. Bradley fFFG 493 fire warning shots across the bows of two lraqi oil tankers leaving the Persian Gulf. -USS England fCG 223 boards a Chinese freighter, the first boarding ofthe intercept oper- ation. USS Scott iDDG 9953 executes the first diversion, without boarding. Aug. 24: USS Wisconsin CBB 643 transits the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf. Sept. 4: USS Goldsborough CDDG 203 boarding team performs the first boarding and seizure of an Iraqi freighter in the North Arabian Sea. Sept. 5: The Navy lifts the firing suspension for Wisconsin's 16-inch guns Sept. 14: USS John F. Kennedy iCV 673 carrier battle group transits the Suez Canal into the Red Sea. Sept. 20: SecDef announces that, effective Sept. 17, personnel on duty in the Middle East are authorized Imminent Danger Pay. Sept. 23: Mercy and Comfort steam together for the first time in the Persian Gulf, making Navy medical history. Oct. 1: Independence transits the Strait of Hor- muz en route to the Persian Gulf ffirst time a carrier has been deep inside the Gulf since USS Constellation fCV 643 in 19743. -Super Servant Ill arrives in Bahrain with her cargo of U.S. Navy minesweepers, USS Adroit QMSO 5093, USS Impervious iMSO 4493, USS Leader LMSO 4903 and new mine countermea- sures ship USS Avenger CMCM 13. Oct. 15: USS Elmer Montgomery CFP 10823 completes the 2 500th intercept by the multina- tional maritime intercept force since the opera- tion began Aug. 12. Oct. 30: A major steam leak in the engine room of USS Iwo Jima tLPH 23 kills 10 crew mem- bers. Nov. 1: USS Midway QCV 413 carrier battle group relieves the Independence carrier battle group in the North Arabian Sea. Nov. 8: President Bush announces that in addi- tion to the 230 000 troops in the Persian Gulf region more heavy divisions Marines and ships will be haeaded for the Persian Gulf. Nov. 13: USS Missouri QBB 633 deploys for the Persian Gulf region from Long Beach Calif. 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 recalled 127 293 t7 314 Navy 17 375 Marines3 Dec 21 An Israeli chartered liberty ferry shui tling crew members of USS Saratoga fCV 603 capsizes and sinks off Haifa Israel killing 21 sailors Dec 28 DoD announces first ever chemicallbiological vaccination program for US forces 1991 Jan 1 Missoun arnves in the Gulf of Oman Jan 2 US troop strength update More th 325 000 in region 35 000 Navy 55 033 .-1 -ug -qv Q Chronology Desert Shield Storm Marines -U.S. Navy ship strength update: 55 total, 25- Persian Gulf, 20-North Arabian Sea!Gulf of Oman, 10-Red Sea. Jan. 6: Saratoga transits the Suez Canal en route to the Red Sea for the fifth time, a record canal transit by any Navy ship during a single deployment. Jan. B: U.S. troop strength update: more than 360,000 in region. -To date, 147,300 reserves recalled i9,939 Navy, 18,155 Marines3. -U.S. Navy ship strength update: 63 total: 18- Persian Gulf, 21-North Arabian Sea!Gulf of Oman, 12-Red Sea, 12-Eastern Mediterranean. Jan. 10: Eight-ship amphibious task force enters the Persian Gulf to conduct routine oper- ations. Led by Nassau, it carries a complement of nearly 10,000 sailors and Marines. Jan. 12: Congress approves joint resolutions authorizing the use of force against Iraq. -USS Ranger fCV 613 carrier battle group arrives on station in the North Arabian Sea. Amphibious Group 3, comprised of 13 ships fwith 7,500 Marines of the 5th MEB embarked3, also arrives on station in the North Arabian Sea and joins the amphibious groups already on station, creating the largest amphibious task force since the Korean War Jan. 14: USS Theodore Roosevelt QCVN 713 carrier battle group transits the Suez Canal, and arrives on station in the Red Sea. Jan. 15: USS America fCV 663 carrier battle group transits the Suez Canal and arrives on station in the Red Sea. Ranger carrier battle group arrives on station in Persian Gulf. Jan. 16: U.S. troop strength update: 425,000 in region, 60,000 Navy, 75,000 Marines. -U.S. Navy ship strength update: 108 total, 34- Persian Gulf, 35-North Arabian Sea!GuIf of Oman, 26-Red Sea, 13-Eastern Mediterranean. -To date, 19 countries have deployed ground forces and 14 nations are participating in naval efforts. -Seventeen anti-ship mines discovered in Per- sian Gulf since Dec. 21, 1990. -At 7 p.m. QEST3, the White House announces that the liberation of Kuwait has begun. The offensive action against Iraq, Operation Desert Storm, begins under provisions of 12 U.N. Security Council resolutions and resolutions of both houses of the U.S. Congress. -Following President Bush's address to the nation, SecDef and Army Gen. Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announce at a Pentagon briefing that hundreds of U.S. and coalition air strikes on missile and antiair- craft targets in iraq and Kuwait are to destroy Saddam Husseins offensive military capabili- ties. SecDef reports that initial attacks appear to have gone very very well. Jan. 17: USS San Jacinto CCG 563 fires the first Tomahawk cruise missile from the Red Sea between 1 and 2 a.m, fGuIf time3. Moments later USS Bunker Hill QCG 523 fires the first Tomahawk cruise missile from the Persian Gulf. -The Navy launches 228 combat sorties on the first-day of Desert Storm from six aircraft carri- ers in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. -The United States reports an FIA-18 and an A- 6 lost over Iraq. Navy LT Michael S. Speicher listed as missing - the first combat casualty of Desert Storm. Jan. 18: USS Nicholas CFFG 473 in operations with Army helos and a Kuwaiti patrol boat neu- tralizes Iraqi forces firing on coalition aircraft with antiaircraft artillery and shoulder fired SAMs from 11 Kuwaiti oil platforms in the north ern Persian Gulf Five Iraqis are killed three are wounded and 23 Enemy Prisoners of War fEPWs3 are taken aboard Nicholas for transfer to a holding facility a NBVY A 6 and an Air Force F 15 The two crewmen of the F 15 are listed as missing The two crewmen of the A 6 lost on Jan 17 are also listed as missing To date the United States has lost four aircraft and lists five per sonnel missing in action QMIA3 The first lraqi Scud missile Ia d I iniunng 10 to 12 civilians n S m Smal -In air-to-air engagements, eight lraqi MiG-29s and Mirage F-1s are destroyed: two are downed by Navy F!A-18s of Saratoga's Fighter Squadron 81 ldirected by E-2Cs from Carrier Air Wing 173. Jan. 19: Navy A-Gs and A-7s successfully launch a standoff land attack missile fSLAM3 against an lraqi target for the first time in com- bat. -USS Louisville QSSN 7243 fires the first subma- rine-launched Tomahawk cruise missile in com- bat history while submerged in the Red Sea. The missile is directed against an unidentified lraqi target. -President Bush signs authorization to extend call-up of up to 1 million National GuardlReserves for up to two years. DoD rais- es the ceilings for National GuardlReserves to 360,000. The Navy's authorization ceiling is raised from 30,000 to 44,000, Marines from 23,000 to 44,000. -An Iraqi artillery battery is destroyed by Navy A-6 and Air Force A-10 aircraft. Marines and Army troops continue in defensive mode in for- ward positions, but there have been no direct ground confrontations. Jan. 21: More than 8,000 sorties have been flown by coalition aircraft. Air operations focus on neutralizing fixedfmobile Scud launch sites and lraqi troop concentrations. To date, coali- tion aircraft losses total eight, including two non-combat-related losses. -A Navy F-14 is lost over Iraq. Two additional Navy personnel are listed as missing. The Unit- ed States has lost 10 aircraft and lists 13 per- sonnel missing. -The United States warns Iraq that it will be held accountable for mistreatment of U.S. Prisoners of War fPOWs3 after Iraq announces captured Americans will be placed at strategic target sites as human shields. -Roosevelt carrier battle group arrives on sta- tion in the Persian Gulf region. Jan. 22: Four Navy A-6s attack and disable an Iraqi T-43-class ship - capable of laying 20 mines - in the Northern Persian Gulf. -U.S. troop strength update: 474,000 tlraqis- 545,0003. Reserves recalled - 165,797 03,303 Navy, 22,048 Marines3. Jan. 23: Navy A-6s disable an Iraqi tanker that had collected and reported intelligence data. The A-6s set off three explosions, killing three lraqi personnel. A-6s also attack and sink a Winchester-class Hovercraft being refueled by the tanker, and a Zhuk patrol boat. Jan. 24: 15,000 sorties 18,000 combat, 7,000 support3 have been flown, and more than 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles have been launched at Iraqi targets. Air strikes are directed at Scud missile launchers lines of transportation and communication control sites and airfields. At Al Quara West airfield three Soviet-built TU-16 Badger heavy bombers are caught on the ground ready to take off and destroyed. -Twenty-two survivors are taken from the sea by a helo from USS Curts QFFG 383 near the island of Qurah. During the rescue the helo comes under attack returns fire and kills three. Twenty-nine additional Iraqis surrender. Fifty- one EPWs are taken into custody by helo crews from USS Lefwich CDD-9843 and the island is reclaimed as the first liberated Kuwaiti territory. -A-6s and FXA-18s attack the Umm Qasr Naval Base hitting four lraqi ships. Jan. 25: A record 2 700 sorties flown today brings total coalition sorties to 17 500 to date, with 236 Tomahawk cruise missile launches Iraq has lost 43 aircraft 19 to air to air engage ments 24 on the ground The United States has lost 10 aircraft to ground fire and the coali tion has lost seven The total of 17 aircraft loss es represented two tenths of 1 percent of all combat missions flown to date port aircraft have landed in an undisclosed loca tion in iran a declared neutral country DoD was unsure whether lraqi planes were seeking a safe haven from bombing attacks whether this was a mass defection or a husbanding of resources for future combat operations U S Marines stage the largest artillery attack of the war to date finnq a battery of 155 mm howitzers at lraqi troops six miles inside Kuwait t 1 ,Q . A I i 1 l I Jan. 27: Air Force F-111 - I I ing the Sea Island temisalnvxr lyglalneslletii . guided bombs to stem the flow of 1-15353 3 miles long and 10 miles wide and ?g'. 9 !3 Q . and burn off pollutants. Th ' W targets a system of pipes tiaitizckis llenlmil from storage tanks to thet ' guatelllhi I folds. ermmal' callellllmi 3 -Thirty-nine lraqi aircraft includ' ' 1 f past 24 hours, have landed iggliiinlhl G announces that, to protect its neutrali- wi H warplanes landing within its borders Willbrg if F fiscated and held until the end of hostilities mn? 'Q -U.S. Patriot missiles intercept six Iraqigxi g missiles aimed at Saudi Arabia and lSla9l . 9 one Scuds have been launched to dale, at c Jan. 28: The status of seven U.S. aircrgmf V is changed from MIA to POW. F -A total of 80 lraqi aircraft have relqgaimi ll Iran. Aircraft ferrying is characterized as -mi ir ble defections as a consequence ollheul 5' campaign that achieved air superiorityanqmi it tralized lraqi counterattack. 3 in -Marine and coalition craft attack an Iraqiwf U vey inside Kuwait, destroying 24 tanlrsarmf S' personnel carriers iAPCs3 and trucksllii 'V ground forces continue to receive spam: 5' artillery fire along the Kuwaiti borderizb Sf engage in counterbattery artillery missions hi I Gulf oil slick appears to stop flowing imma 0' Sea Island terminal. DoD estimatestliesh. K' contains 460 million gallons of oil. , M Jan. 29 More than 700,000 coalition airgrw: and naval personnel are present in theltiel' ki of operation, and more than 110 coalilionorg batant ships are participating. U.S. troopsivs 0 ber more than 4eo,ooo. l it -In the first major ground confrontationsiti mounts a four-pronged raid across melting C1 border. Near AI Wafra, U.S. and coalitionleu llli engage a mechanized battalion with Cobngii W ships are fixed - wing aircraft. They repulstg attack, destroying 10 enemy tanks. 1 -Fighting continues for control of Khaii tml the night. Forty more Iraqi tanks crossttfh' der and engage U.S. Marine Iightarnirc, infantry. The attack was repelled, bali Marines are killed in action lKlA3 -Illllff. ground combat deaths of the operation. Marines are wounded. Q -A total of 33 enemy tanks and 28 APCSI' destroyed. Q -Marines of the 13th MEU capture Urine Maradim Island, 12 miles off IheC03f'g Kuwait. Marines plant the Kuwaiti Half? destroy antiaircraft weapons and arlllltfl on the tiny island. This is the seootlfl I reclaimed for the Kuwaiti governmenllil'-3 coalition. l -Navy helos search Meradim Islanm ing reports of Iraqis offering 10 Su I are fired upon by aPP'0X'ma'e'y 20 mv? craft with rocket propelled Qfenades we matic weapons. The helos return inn : four boats and dgmilging I2 one ' engage the fleeing oa s. ' Jan. 30: Two weeks into Desensigi Navy has flown more than 3500n2wi. six carriers and launched more tha , hawk cruise missil9S- . aww -Saudi Arabian National Guamsmegmmf lraqll tanks engage a column of M tanks in Ras al Kha3fi.Aher8tg2:1l':dmn Y the Iraqis are forced from lnje mum i. of us. Marine ouoships an F M -Na A-6s attack three traoi lHf'd '9 mb VY I lei vicinity of Shat al-Arab Chigpemw enemy ships dead in the W8 mal flees A 6s also attack ablggmglsely Northern Persian Gulf The 5 DIV' Jan 31 More than 32 O00 slirlitiaii ri wn I2 eoo iouayl Wllll 'lo 8 dard uos aircraft Coalition 8 9ml:r'lt09 vos ooo U 5 personnel pass N nmark passes the half mi io Umm, Feb 2 Coalition naval 0P9m 0nZ,W Ot' ua an smack on me A'Kal'1?5li.1..tai ocet ca able Palm 5:0 laser gulded bombs vghll:6:l9 ' aircraft launches a string 0 I boat Till bombs across anoth0l pantie Pier also strike a buildln9 on :ms several secondafil explosm Or So Un -Ti A4 bo W -Ai oil ffl 41. an lint dot V31 dill We ble I Hai , U ' I Oil .. H ' m ' ' ' Un ' un filo. - . iid - . ent . Om lbli .lon ' V het . , Tm ' YVEPII ' ilirm . JE: . 'Z . . 1 ' ' .. . , ' y P - - ' I ' ,Pen ' - , - ' , - - - ' A ' ' '- ' - Feb. . . ., , . ' . - - . : '- '.... . - 1 ' . - . , - f M -, . is . . , ' . 1 -- 1 . .. ' Se , D . . ' ' -The United States loses two additional aircraft, -At least 12 lraqi MIG-29s, F-1s and 12 trans- g - 4 ' . , ' . . . . ' ' - I - - I ui 1 , . . U- , . il lfe.

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42 mr 5? 'li Ei Iii lb ru' qi M in 'N MQ . Wh N. ei N lf!! Nl! US nag '-IM 5-lie lmh Nh Jw: lieu Hom sim IS, lm Kun lim ra gg rlsefi lhfw: the br lfITl0ll but 1' the ir on. lm PCs rr Umm: coaslr flag ir irysm nd lslu ni nys nveslp nder, ll raqi sm and at 'e, sm ers. I4 Storm ll :nies W 260 Til ami ilanlfl 5 ated lil' Mh lhfl Q mn iii leaviw' e oltff' boat ill! el aw I i half' all KS' gand . P09 ini!-7 i' . 'growl 5900115 le 1, Tl! r. Missouri fires High' ml 3: The hamfgfgm her 16-inch guns. zwpound S mm Bngmy concrete com- dwoywlgglftrgl bunkers Iraq is moving into md ' mill- . 000 pounds ol high lm wrl99- 'omunghliirst combat firin9 0' udwfm-ggigguns since the Korean WH'- wwns the first use ol a Fi9m9'9'Y Pblid . L rM9envIr0llT::n 44,000 sorties have been mtl: MON .mawry one bombing sortre for W' appmixl Desert Storm 0Pe'3t'0nS ' Heyy minute was and six B-52 strikes on 111161129 Zsgujrd mop positions. mibliwln hu targets or opportunity, including 4l,S.a1fUf' B Hamer attack that destroys or , mririe Alxaqi tanks using Rockeye antitank Wnadfd 3 strike on a truck convoy. Three Wislhgsile Sites are hit and several support mmuamaged- 1 ' uri destroys four artillery emplace- FOIL5: Msszommand bunker with another 16- rrwsanda 9 in support of Marines. ln a nd' 90 bang- ri fires 28 16-inch rounds new galvo, Missull I ,com letely destroy- msl ? 'adfirnfgigoifigfof 115 re-inch shells nggkigcun rounds in eight fire suPP0 T mis- :5 dumg 3 48-hour period. . mo hours of relieving her sister battle- 'mhvmsmnsgn conducts her first naval gunfire N' mission sinoe the Korean War, firing an mnd salvo with her 16-inchbguns, and M3075 an Iraqi artillery battery in southern Kuwait. Nicholas escorts the battleship. A mme OV-10 Bronco calls in the Gre mission. ren in update: 503,000 in region. :lE5:,?:g11?146 115,376 Navy, 22,634 lMfl055l- A other coalition forces exceed 205,000. Thirty- mo nations have forces in place supporting Desert Storm lArgentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, China, C1ech0Slovakia,Denmark, Egypt, France, Ger- m,y'g,ewe, Hungary, ltaly, Kuwait, Morocco, me Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nonivay, oman, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sgnegal, Spain, Syria, United Arab Emirates, united Kingdom and the United Statesi. .Tm Navy F-14s down an Iraqi Ml-8 helo, and Ms attack and heavily damage two lraqi patrol bouts in the northern Gulf near the Al Faw panmsula. -Americas carrier battle group transits the Strait ollforrnuz en route to their Persian Gulf deploy- multi. -U.S. aircraft fire two laser-guided bombs on a Baghdad target identified as a camouflaged for- lilitdcommand and control bunker, in the resi- dsrillal alllmerich district. lraq claims the site was a bomb shelter inhabited by civilians and announces hundreds killed. -Navy aircraft destroy an Exocet missiIe-capa- bla Frelon helicopter while it is on the ground. Nlvyaircralt also assisted in the Persian Gulf oil cleanup by providing information on the extant and movement of the spil -United States has lost 28 aircraft f18 fixed- vang in oombal, three fixed-wing in noncombat mishaps, seven helicopters lost in noncombatj. Coalition has lost 10 aircraft. Forty iraqi aircraft lndlour helos have been shot down in air-to-air a'gl90m9fllS with no U.S. air-to-air losses. I hundred thirty-six Iraqi aircraft have flown I0 ran thus lar. Navy and Marine aircraft have MD more than 15.000 combat sorties since N Operation began, LTSIIQEGO hundred Iraqi tanks, 800 armored mmedsiand 1,100 artillery pieces are con- estroyed in verified bomb damage !SS9ssments fapproximately one-third of the 'UI invento of 4 280 mo anmevgypiecgsjl tanks, 1,870 APCs and P .ubmeflca camer battle group arrives in mgnaaghdad Radio broadcasts an Iraqi hq is 'eaf:ifY fommand Council statement that sammy C Y or negotiations based on U.N. mms Oilncrl Resolution 660 of 1990, to mhdmw: :mon to the Cult crisis, including its nmmesthf0m Kuwait. President Bush M one' ,,re3'r:3EglIHlf::l happiness about the ' Y, l 3,510 be a cruel hoa raq statement now ig mgmggag mi'f13fY 0D9rations will contin- ie, V 9her authority of a cease. -Would-be wectors may have been hindered by such obstacles as mine fields, execution squads and retallations against their families in iraq Feb. 18: Within three hours ol each other, USS Tripoli lLHP 101 and USS Princeton QCG 593, strike mines while conducting operations in the northern Persian Gulf. Tripoli, flagship in one of the most extensive minesweeping operations since the Korean War, sustains a 16-foot by 20- foot hole in her forward starboard side below the waterline. The explosion causes minor flooding to six spaces, minimized by damage control. Four crew members are injured, and the amphibious assault ship remains fully mis- sion capable. Princeton, underway on half power, sustains damage including a crack in her superstructure. Three crewmen are iniured - one seriously - and and EOD team is sent to assess the mission capability of the Aegis cruis- er. Feb. 19: A minefield containing an estimated 22 mines is discovered and cordoned off in the Northern Persian Gulf. To date, 153 mines have been discovered. -USS Beaufort QATS-21 and minesweeper escort USS adroit maneuver through an uncharted mine field to reach Princeton, and proceed to tow the cruiser to a Gulf port for a detailed inspection. Feb. 20: In one day-long engagement 100 kilo- meters above the border, U.S. artillery and tac- tical aircraft attack 300 vehicles in rivetted posi- tions, destroying 28 tanks and 28 vehicles. No lraqi aircraft have flown in 10 days. -To date, there are 55 U.S. fatalities: 17 KlAs, 38 noncombat fatalities: 25 WlAs, 27 MlAs fseven Navy, two Marinesig nine POWs itwo Navy, two Marinesi. Feb. 21: Iraq accepts a Soviet-brokered eight- point peace proposal, however the United States has serious reservations. -Wisconsin fires 50 rounds off Khafji, Saudi Ara- bia, and destroys a command complex, while her RPVs spot targets and provide coastline reconnaissance. -Marine AV-8Bs conduct bombing runs off the flight deck of USS Nassau QLHA 43. This is the first time in history that Marine AV-BB jump jets have conducted combat missions from a heli- copter assault ship. -DoD authorizes awarding of the National Defense Service Medal to all U.S. service per- sonnel on active duty after Aug. 2, 1990, in spe- cial recognition of outstanding performance during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Feb. 22: After consultations with coalition part- ners, President Bush rejects lraq's peace plan, declaring that the ground campaign will not be initiated before 12 p.m. QESTJ on Feb. 23 if Iraq publicly agrees to: 'Large-scale, immediate withdrawal, complete within one week. -Within 48 hours, leave Kuwait City and allow prompt return of the legitimate government of Kuwait. -Withdraw from all prepared defenses along the Saudi-Kuwait and Saudi-Iraq borders. 'Return troops to iraqi positions of Aug. 1, 1990. 'Cooperate with the International Red Cross and release all POWs and remains of service- men within 48 hours. 'Remove all explosives or booby traps and pro- vide data on location and nature of any land or sea mines. -Cease all combat airfire, aircraft flights over iraq and Kuwait except for transport aircraft car- rying troops out of Kuwait. 'Cease all destructive action against Kuwaiti cit- izens and property, and release all Kuwaiti detainees. -An estimated 100 Kuwaiti oil wells have been destroyed, along with oil tanks, export terminals and other installations. President Bush announces lraq has launched a scorched- earth policy destroying the entire oil production system of Kuwait. Feb. 23: At 8 p.m. QESTJ, President Bush addresses the nation to report he has directed Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Central Command, Army Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, in con- junction with coalition forces, to use all forces available, including ground forces, to eject the Iraqi army from Kuwait. The liberation of Kuwait has entered a final phase. -Following President Bush's statement, SecDef announces the commencement of a large ground offensive. ich. 24: Forces of the United States, United 'f19d0rn. France, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Egypt Syria and Kuwait proceed in a major ground,l naval and air offensive. gmt 'twa-'TV CGI-lllilmej, assault elements of the s I arine Division ffst Battalion, 5th 8. 7th Maf'f1eS-,Supported by :ard Tank eaiialioni and 2nd Marine Division f6th Marines and armory easily breech lraq's defense lines of minefields barbed wire, bunkers and berms. I -Marines spearhead the attack, with Army para- troopers, air assault forces, special forces and ground forces of the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and Syria. Within nine hours, Marines destroy numerous Iraqi tanks and bunkers: seize the Burgan oil field and Al Jabblf Aiffieldi and capture thousands of Iraqi troops. -Amphibious task forces off Kuwati's coast con- duct naval gunfire to keep Iraqi forces on the coastline. -With the exception of one engagement between a Marine task force and an Iraqi armor until that results in Iraqi tanks and troops retreating, there is only light contact with Iraqi forces. Iraqi troops are reported to be retreat- ing, not engaging U.S. or coalition forces and surrendering. Some contact is made with Republican Guard troops. Feb. 25: More than 18,000 EPWs are reported- ly captured. ln several engagements, Marines attack an Iraqi force, destroying 50 to 60 tanks. -In joint operations with the U,S. Army, Marines capture 20 T-62 tanks, 40 APCs, more than 400 EPWs and also engage a formation of 150 armored vehicles. Coalition forces have destroyed more than 270 Iraqi tanks since com- mencement of the ground offensive. Mean- while, Marines fight their way to the outskirts of Kuwait City, but U.S. ground casualties remain extremely light: four KIA, 21 WIA. -Naval forces, including Wisconsin and Mis- souri, continue naval gunfire support and other operations. Missouri alone fires 133 rounds, or 125 tons of ordnance, on targets. Minesweep- ers clear additional fire support areas for the battleshlps. -HMS Gloucester KD 961, escorting Missouri in the Persian Gulf, destroys an incoming lraqi Silkworm missile aimed at Missouri, with two Sea Dart missiles. A second Silkworm missile is fired, but falls into the Gulf. Navy aircraft destroy the missile launch site. -At 5:35 p.m. QESTJ, Baghdad Radio announces that lraq's Foreign Minister informed the Soviet ambassador which constitutes a practical compliance with U.N. Security Council Resolu- tion 660, that President Saddam Hussein has ordered his troops to make a fighting withdrawal from occupied Kuwait and return to the position they occupied before the Aug. 2, 1990, invasion of Kuwait. -The White House responds, announcing there is no evidence to suggest the lraqi army is withdrawing We continue to persecute the war. We have heard no reason to change that Saddam Hussein must personally and pub- licly accept, explicitly, all relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions. Feb. 26: On Baghdad Radio, Saddam Hussein announces Iraqi troops have begun withdrawing from Kuwait and withdrawal would be complet- ed within the day. ln the 25-minute speech. Hussein maintains that Kuwait was a part of Iraq which was separated from it in the past, and current circumstances are such that armed forces are forcing us to withdraw. -President Bush calls Hussein's speech an outrage. He is not withdrawing. His defeated forces are retreating. The coalition will continue to prosecute the war with undiminished intensity lt is time for all lraqi forces to lay down their arms. And that will stop the bloodshed The liberation of Kuwait is close at hand. -DoD announces that U.S. and coalition forces are engaging, outflanking, outmaneuvering and destroying armed and fully-retreating lraqi troops. Twenty-one Iraqi divisions are destroyed or rendered combat-ineffective. -A Marine reconnaissance unit becomes the first U.S. force to enter Kuwait City, and retake control of the U.S. Embassy. Marines comb the neighborhoods for lraqis. Pockets of resistance remain, including Republican Guard units. At Kuwait International Airport Marines engage Iraqi tanks. -More than 30,000 EPWs are reported cap' tured. U.S. ground casualties: four KIA, 21 WIA, two MIA. Overall total: 55 KIA, 155 WIA, 30 MIA and nine POWs. -DoD reports that more than 100,000 50.-gigs have been flown by coalition forces. The U.S. QIIZVY and Marines flew 3,000 sorties on this day one. .USif'iQ RPVs andAMarine spotters ashore to Zero-in on targets, including artillery, mortar and missile positions, ammunition storage facilities and a Silkworm missile site, Wisconsin and Mis. souri fire more than 1,000 rounds of 16-inch a f'mUnf 0 ' 'n SUPPOYI Of ground operations. Missouri alone fires more than 1 million pounds of ordnance. Wisconsin's RPVs provide on-site reconnaissance support from 11 nautical miles out for advancing Marines. Feb, 27: Supported by attack aircraft, U.S. and coalition forces engage in a climactic classic tank battle, with approximately three division of Republican Guard forces in Iraq near the Euphrates Valley. These remnants of lraq's forces are boxed in by a solid wan of U.S. forces on their eastern flank, and U.S. and coalition forces, including Marines, on their southern flank. The battle ends with Iraq losing 200 tanks, 50 armored vehicles and 20 artillery pieces. -More than 50,000 EPWs have been captured fmore than 48,000 since ground war beganl. U.S. casualties are 28 KlAs, 89 WlAs, five MIAs since start of the ground offensive. Overall total: 79 KlAs, 213 WlAs, 35 MlAs and nine POWs. -President Bush addresses the nation, declar- ing Kuwait is liberated. lraq's army is defeat- ed. The President announces that at 12 a.m. QIESTJ exactly 100 hours since ground opera- tions commenced and six weeks since the start of Operation Desert Storm, all U.S. and coali- tion forces will suspend further offensive com- bat operations. March 1: Marines have captured, destroyed or damaged, 1,060 tanks, 608 APCs, 432 artillery pieces and two Scud launchers during 100 hours of offensive combat. Marine sweeps also uncover a bunker containing chemical artillery shells. -Hundreds of lraqi soldiers waving white flags on Faylaka Island surrender to Missouri's RPV flying overhead after their trench line was bom- barded. March 2: By an 11-to-1 vote, the U.N, Security Council approves Resolution 686, outlining the conditions Iraq must meet prior to a formal cease-fire. March 3: Schwarzkopf and Joint Forces Com- mander Gen. Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz meet seven Iraqi military officials, led by Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen, Sultan Hasheem Ahmad, at Safwan Airfield in occupied Iraq. -After a two-hour meeting, the Iraqi military for- mally accepts all demands for a permanent cease-fire. Iraqi agrees to an immediate release of a small number of POWs as a token of good faith, and to safety measures to ensure that mil- itary forces do not accidentally engage each other with hostile fire. -Navy CH-46 helps with loudspeakers round up 1,413 surrendering Iraqi troops on Faylaka Island. EPWs are ferried by helo to Ogden for further transport to Saudi Arabian EPW facili- ties. March 4: U.S. casualty data: 09 KIAs, 308 WlAs, 35 MlAs and six POWs freflects release of six Americansi. EPWs total more than 63,000 in Saudia Arabia, 37,000 in U.S. facili- tiesg more than 3,000 in Turkey. March 5. Iraq releases 35 POWs 115 Ameri- cansj to the international Red Cross. Revised U.S. casualty data: 115 KlAs, 65 noncombat fatalities, 330 WlAs, 37 MlAs and six POWs. March 6: In a prisoner exchange, 35 released POWs transit from Baghdad to Riyadh and 294 lraqi EPWs transit to Baghdad. U.S. POWs are then transferred to Mercy for medical treatment. -To date, more than 116,000 sorties have been flown. The United States has lost 57 aircraft 435 fixed-wing, 27 in combat, 8 in noncombat, 22 helos, five in combat, 17 in noncombati. casualty data: 115 KlAs, 78 noncombat fatali- ties, 338 WlAs, 26 MlAs ffive Navy, two Marinesi and no POWs. -President Bush addresses a joint session of Congress: l can report to the nationg aggres- sion is defeated. The war is over. 63