Shreveport (LPD 12) - Naval Cruise Book

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5 .f 0, ' A ' . .... .' +011-f 'K . ' 5 I J. 1 Z f -wsu 3 'f L ,I 1 ins, .. ff, . n., -1, ,,.a-- ,-M: -bv K I H ggi, .4 021 .Af I I y.. ',J '- A '.-I ' ,lf ,. if Q I ' -,N fy ' H , H ,nf ix... yi -NEW LN- . .,',.,,: - M - SM a .I V 14- . . ,K S11 AA, f, .7 ,.,, ,W V , ,,,.:-5. 'jfw'--5 --1 LI... Y f Alma. MV N , ' Tig: ,rv hy Q, . X7 pf,-A I JW- 4 'Y' 1-K K VM ,, .zlamg ,L N.-1,2 Q- W3 Q12 A .4 '-X , ' 'AI 6,55 92' .M , 1- uXAt! T?5I-I: ' -4 F' T MI Vw' MI F' 1' 'FV' W, -- -1' ' fml- ' ' I. W- I 6 .4 L Q , I M W xyw Wi .,.. Q' ., in l7ilLa,,.giQ?XI'2 W --K'-. bi - - ,S I 5 ng- Fig? J r V V , A M.i'?,mM,ul A 1 If ., ,W X V I W' - fg...-: : -. , , HW' M .... Y, , USS SHREVEPORT CONDUCTED A DIRECT TRANSIT TO THE NORTHERN ARABIAN SEA AND ARRIVED ON STATION OFF THE COAST OF OMAN LESS THAN 25 DAYS LATER. THIS WAS TO BE OUR PRINCIPAL OPERATING AREA FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS. AS USS SHREVEPORT ARRIVED ON STA- TION, IRAQI FORCES CONTINUED TO MASS IN KUWAIT. PRESS REPORTS OF ATROCITIES COMMITTED AGAINST THE MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN OF KUWAIT BY IRAQI FORCES WERE NOW COMMONPLACE. A MILITARY COALITION FORCE, WHICH IN- CLUDED EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL FROM OVER THIRTY FIVE NATIONS, BEGAN TO ASSEM- BLE. SADDAM HUSSEIN WAS GIVEN REPEATED WARNINGS FROM THE WORLD'S SUPERPOWERS TO WITHDRAW FROM KUWAIT. THESE WAR- NINGS FELL ON DEAF EARS, AS SADDAM HUS- SEIN DECLARED KUWAIT AS IRAQ'S 19TH PROV- INCE. NUMEROUS PEACE PLANS WERE PRESENTED, BUT SADDAM REFUSED EACH ONE. SADDAM PRESENTED HIS OWN PEACE PLANS WHICH HAD NUMEROUS CONDITIONS THE WORLD COM- MUNITY WAS TO MEET. PRESIDENT BUSH AN- SWERED THESE PEACE PLANS WITH A SIMPLE MESSAGE, WITHDRAW FROM KUWAIT UN- CONDITIONALLY OR FACE DIRE CONSE- QUENCES. SADDAM IGNORED THIS WARNING. THE UNITED NATIONS APPROVED ECO- NOMIC SANCTIONS DESIGNED TO FORCE IRAQ INTO WITHDRAWING FROM KUWAIT. HOWEV- ER, THESE SANCTIONS FAILED TO PRODUCE THE DESIRED RESULTS. THE UNITED NATIONS THEN APPROVED THE USE OF MILITARY FORCE TO OUST IRAQI FORCES FROM KUWAIT. A DEAD- LINE OF 15 IANUARY 1991 WAS SET FOR SAD- DAM TO WITHDRAW HIS FORCES OR FACE MILI- TARY ACTION. WHILE OPPOSING FORCES CONTINUED TO POSTURE IN KUWAIT AND SAUDI ARABIA, USS SHREVEPORT CONTINUED TO HONE ITS' AM- PHIBIOUS WARFIGHTING CAPABILITIES. THIS WAS DONE THROUGH A SERIES OF FOUR SEA SOLDIER EXERCISES WHICH WERE CONDUCTED ON THE BEACHES OF OMAN. TIME AND TIME AGAIN MARINES WERE PLACED ASHORE IN PREPARATION FOR WHAT EVERYONE CONSID- ERED TO BE INEVITABLE, AN AMPHIBIOUS LAND- ING ON THE BEACHES OF KUWAIT. A LAST MINUTE CHANCE AT PEACE WAS OF- FERED WITH THE U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE AND IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER HOLDING TALKS IN GENEVA. HOWEVER, THESE TALKS PROVED FRUITLESS. 17

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THE 15TH OF JANUARY PASSED WITHOUT EANEARE. HOWEVER, A DAY AFTER SADDAM IG- NORED THE DEADLINE TO WITHDRAW, THE MOST DEVASTATING AIR ASSAULT IN HISTORY BEGAN WITH THE BOMBING OF BAGHDAD. THE WAR BEGAN AT 0300 PERSIAN GULF TIME, WHEN A TOMAHAWK CRUISE MISSILE, TARGETED AGAINST BAGHDAD, WAS LAUNCHED FROM THE USS WISCONSIN OPER- ATING IN THE CENTRAL PERSIAN GULF. THIS AIR CAMPAIGN LASTED FOR SIX WEEKS WHILE COALITION GROUND FORCES READIED THEMSELVES TO ENTER COMBAT. WHILE THE AIR CAMPAIGN CONTINUED, USS SHREVEPORT WAS ORDERED INTO THE PER- SIAN GULF. AFTER ONLY A FEW DAYS IN THE SOUTHERN PERSIAN GULF THE ORDER CAME TO HEAD NORTH. USS SHREVEPORT WAS ORDERED TO AN OPERATING AREA 100 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHEAST OF KUWAIT. IRAQ, HAD LONG SINCE REALIZED THAT AN AMPHIBIOUS LANDING WAS IN THE OEEING, AND HAD COMMITTED OVER FIVE DIVISIONS TO THE KUWAITI COAST. THESE FORCES WHICH AMOUNTED TO OVER 00,000 PERSONNEL, WERE INTENT ON COUNTERING AN AMPHIBIOUS AS- SAULT. THE COASTAL WATERS OF KUWAIT AND IRAQ WERE ALSO MINED WITH OVER 1100 MINES IN AN EFFORT TO PREVENT ANY PLANNED AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT. AS THE GROUND WAR COMMENCED ON 24 FEBRUARY, USS SHREVEPORT CONTINUED T0 CONDUCT OPERATIONS IN THE NORTHERN PERSIAN GULF, APPROACHING TO WITHIN 30 NAUTICAL MILES OF KUWAIT. IRAQI TROOPS HELD FAST IN THE BELIEF THAT AN AMPHIB OU5 LANDING WAS CLOSE AT HAND. THEN, IN A MATTER OF ONLY 100 HCIURS' THE GROUND WAR WAS OVER. SADDAM HJS. SEIN TROOPS, FROM THE ELITE REPUB- CAN GUARD UNITS, TO THE ORDINARY FOOT SOL- DIER, HAD FELT THE FORCE OF THE COALITION GROUND FORCES. AN AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT WAS NEVER NEEDED. HOWEVER, THE MERE PRESENCE OF THI AMPHIBIOUS TASK GROUP OFF 'HE COAST OI KUWAIT KEPT 80,000 IRAQI FORCES IN THE POSI- TIONS ALONG THE COAST, UNAB-E TO ENGAGI ADVANCING COALITION FORCES. AS ACTIVITY IN IRAQ AND KJWAIT BEGAN TO DIMINISH, USS SHREVEPORT WAS DE- TACHED FOR WELL DESERVED L BERTY IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. FOL-OWING THIS PORT VISIT, THE LONG TRANSIT BACK HOME COMMENCED. USS SHREVEPORT RETURNED TO NORFOLK ON 17 APRIL 1991. AFTER 250 DAYS AT SEA WITH ONLY 23 DAYS IN PORT, NORFOLK WAS A WEI- COME SIGHT. ku i ii' Az, I Am 4 I I