THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 20, 1994 TAG: 9410200397
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 132 lines
The 14-ship Eisenhower battle group pulling out of port today packs more punch with its long-range cruise missiles and bomb-toting planes than any assembled since the Persian Gulf war.
Joined by three new attack submarines, two new Aegis cruisers and a veteran destroyer - all capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles - the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower is taking a formidable force overseas.
Whether the group is headed to the Persian Gulf to counter an Iraqi threat, or to the Adriatic Sea to help keep a lid on the Bosnian civil war, the Pentagon isn't saying officially. One senior defense official said Tuesday that the gulf is likely its first destination.
``Pick a spot,'' said the battle group's commander, Rear Adm. Daniel J. Murphy Jr. ``We are well-prepared for the Adriatic, Red Sea, Persian Gulf or Indian Ocean.''
His immediate orders are to relieve the Norfolk-based carrier George Washington on station, wherever that will be.
``The principal objective is to get the GW home on schedule,'' he said. That should be mid-November.
Included in the Ike's forces are three amphibious ships carrying 2,000 Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The battle group will pick up some added ordnance from the George Washington, Murphy said.
``We'll have a threefold increase,'' he said. ``For the first time, we are carrying the 2,000-pound penetrator bombs that were so successful during Desert Storm.''
The George Washington recently picked up the laser-guided weapons when it was called to the Persian Gulf in response to Iraq's massing along the Kuwaiti border, he said.
The Eisenhower's air wing also carries more punch than any other deployed so far, he said.
It includes advanced fighters - the F/A-18 Hornets and F-14 Tomcats, both of which can drop bombs - along with a squadron of A-6 Intruder medium attack bombers.
Each of them can carry out their missions at night.
``The big difference in this air wing is that wherever we go, we will cull the night,'' Murphy said.
The Eisenhower group resembles traditional carrier forces deployed until about a year ago, combining powerful surface ships with an 80-plane carrier air wing. In the past year there have been attempts to mix up the groups, sometimes adding Marines on carriers and leaving fighter aircraft at home, or using more helicopters to transport troops.
The Eisenhower just returned from a special mission, leaving its jets ashore in order to transport elements of the Army's 10th Mountain Division to Haiti.
In preparation for today's deployment, the battle group spent more than a year in training and exercises built around situations it might encounter in diverse geographic regions. ILLUSTRATION: EISENHOWER GROUP
SHIPS
From Norfolk
Dwight D. Eisenhower, aircraft carrier
Anzio, guided-missile cruiser
Cape St. George, guided-missile cruiser
Kidd, destroyer
Peterson, destroyer
Boise, fast attack submarine
Nassau, amphibious assault ship
Ponce, amphibious transport dock
Gunston Hall, dock landing ship
From Charleston, S.C.
Klakring, guided-missile frigate
Robert G. Bradley, guided-missile frigate
From Early, N.J.
Detroit, fast combat support ship
From Groton, Conn.
Annapolis, fast attack submarine
Springfield, fast attack submarine
AIRCRAFT
From Virginia Beach
Fighter Squadron 12, F-14 Tomcats
Attack Squadron 75, A-6 Intruders
From Norfolk
Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 105,
E2-C Hawkeyes
Fleet Logistics Support Squadron, Detachment 2
C-2 Greyhounds
From Cecil Field, Fla.
Strike/Fighter Squadron 37,
F/A-18 Hornets
Strike/Fighter Squadron 107,
F/A-18 Hornets
Air Anti-Submarine Squadron 22,
S-3 Vikings
Air Reconnaissance Squadron 6,
ES-3 Vikings
From Jacksonville, Fla.
Helicopter Anti-Submarine
Squadron 7
SH-3 Sea Kings
From Whidbey Island, Wash.
Tactical Electronic Warfare
Squadron 130,
EA-6B Prowlers
by CNB