Shasta (AE 33) - Naval Cruise Book

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Q If-F Q I FROM QUR SPONSQR .I. C. - P Qual- Is DO-U-2 ALANL -XYIWRAE.-Xf L , THQ L XII Q11 Of in ikxng mwny Imoks there is no end So sip I I1 k 1, E I A I h LI h I p I I I1 5 II I I h I I It I p I I1 I TI I I Ik I, NI Iyl 1 Iylx I but bun I I, I I y I I Iutiust xxt xxtre Ii L I I I FI y II yes nirnul to the M tl II If TI k I ply proiIus.t ipitt Iv k I I I I tht I thu limo y I I 1 II I I I I I Imort this I II me Ik I I p credit Iorl to ll I NI II h II I H I I,.1l I I mumlion I III I I F nmly slit Ik IIo I Il I 1 lly Ib N Flu 1 Mi To-ul I I I I II p 5, f qw rlmmmntls I 1 I I I I I imoilurs tht I I I I I I I-I I tiunmtnil ir I y to nl I I oiirg imtig moi I rx Ixup it llunslw it Tlmtr-. uill nutr Im inorlur I lk A nl I Ottittr Ikmlx ilu inks for inikum, HIL look g I 'W s T Q I C I L Ott Ns PiNisHEn AT LAST 'St if ' eff I've been looking at at this book so long sometimes I wonderif pieces are ever going to fit together. Well I hope that everyone themselves in this book somewhere. just getting a finished productwf has become the true challenges. I would most like to thank my very best friend SN Lilly MGHOZ out whose help I think I would never have finished. Who kicked! the ass to motivate me and rarely complained when I drug her bed at 2 AM to type for me. It meant a lot girl. To all my shipmates I would like to say, thank you for being patient. We saw the end of a -war together and even worse WCG DAYg I hope this book honestly reflects our experiences over the past 6 months. -BentfBent

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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

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