Stein (FF 1065) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 58 text:

attle Group 1' HVO TEIN did not put to sea alone. After we left San Diego harbor in the tor- rential rain, STEIN met up with the ships we would see so much of over the next six months. The Nimitz Carrier Battle Group, commanded by Commander, Cruis- er Destroyer Group THREE, Rear Admiral Phil Quast, consisted of seven ships in all. s The USS NIMITZ, with aircraft from Carrier Air Wing NINE, was the flag ship for the Battle Group. With her F-14A Plus fighters, FIA-18 and A-6 Intruder attack aircraft, H-60 helicopters, and many others, she would provide the air support and command, and control in case of reflash of hostilities in the Gulf. USSTEXAS, a nuclear powered cruiser, carried powerful Tomahawk cruise missiles, which had been used with such, great success in the Gulfrwar. y USS CHANCELLORS- VILLE, with her sophisticated AE1GiSf radarsystem, was capable of trackinghundreds of air contacts simultaneously a great advanta e , -yy, g in the congested Gulf region. duff USS, RENTZ, a guided missile frigategihad much the same mis- sion as STEIN - operate with for- eignynavies in order to build team- work that will be required in future Gulf operations. Along with STEIN, 54 3 f 'Y she conducted exercises with foreign navies and stood ready to conduct Maritime lnterdic- tion Operations in support of the United Nations trade embargo against lraq. USS HAROLD E. HOLT, also a KNOX class frigate, operated with the multinational minesweeping force, which had been assem- bled to clear the many mines laid by Iraq, and make the waters in the Northern Gulf safe for shipping. USS CAMDEN, the Battle Group supply ship, provided logistic support throughout the deployment - everything from jet fuel to ice cream, mail to fresh fruit and vegetables. She stood by with reloads of ammunition in case of renewed hostilities. Her heavy lift H-46 helos provided logistic runs daily throughout the deployment. On 1 March 1991, Battle Group Bravo Steamed west, uncertain about events in the Gulf or the schedule for the deployment, 11 Rear Admllil i rwcnuozsdllil

Page 57 text:

oimnamlm 1 Miller addresses the troops in Ji bel Ali as Rea: Admiral Quast looks on. ILO.:-gL'.,.i,gl KUWAIT IS FREE uriy up and wait? This phrase took on new meaning for Battle Group Bravo. ln early December 1990, BG Bravo was told to be ready on a moment's notice to deploy to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Shield. On STEIH, that meant the Holiday leave period would have to be cut short and the ship would have to be brought up to the highest state of readiness in a very short time. Even after apparently getting the go ahead to deploy on several different occasions, STEIN and the other Battle Group ships sat in port - waiting. Finally, after numerous false starts, STEIN sailed out of San Diego on the dismal morning of 1 March 1991. After two weeks off the coast of Southern California conducting a Readiness Exercise, STEIN and BG Bravo steamed west toward the Phillipines. After a brief port call in Subic Bay, the Battle Group split up: the small boys headed for Penang, Malaysia and the large ships for ports in Thailand. Next, the Battle Group sailed for the Arabian Gulf, where we relieved the RANGER Battle Group. Multi-National Force Operations were our main task while standing by in the event of a reflash of hostilities in the regions. There were numerous port visits, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. On our return transit, we cleansed the ship of Slimy Wogs, conducted ASW operations with U.S. Navy submarines, senfed as the Flag Ship for COMDESRON 21, and visited Thailand, Hong Kong and Hawaii. On 27 August 1991,just short of the six month mark, we returned home to a fabulous welcome. For her efforts in the Gulf Region, STEIN was awarded the Southwest Asia Service Medal and Sea Service Ribbon. SS Himitz fCVH 681 served as the Flag Ship for Commander Cruiser Destroyer Group THREE as well as Commander Destroyer Squadron 21. Deployment 55

Page 59 text:

llfvh lt.iiulil lf. llnlt tl l lll74l wus l H 557, Hag ship Im .lHJC'l?'d to ilu' rnulti imlimial minc- Hlmnl fcv .i De5m,yC,A swt-vpii1g mice in the North Arabian mmwder, Cruiser cami. 3 up THREE- Himitz, Camden, and Chancel- lorsville conducting undemfay replenishment. Aegis cruiser, USS Chancellorsville, steams in a line abreast with Rentz and Stein. Perry-class guided missile frigate, USS Rentz. 4 i l Nuclear powered guided 55 missile cruiser, USS Texas icon 59l.