THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 27, 1994 TAG: 9410270490
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 29 lines
The aircraft carrier George Washington, rushed to the Persian Gulf earlier this month to counter a possible Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, left those waters Wednesday.
A defense official said the Norfolk-based ship would sail around the Arabian peninsula and back through the Suez Canal on the first leg of a trip that is scheduled to bring it home to Norfolk around Nov. 20. The Washington deployed in May.
The ship was operating in the Adriatic Sea off Bosnia early this month when the movement of Iraqi troops toward the Kuwait border prompted President Clinton to order it to the gulf. The Iraqis have since withdrawn, though some other parts of an American military buildup are continuing in Kuwait.
In the Mediterranean, the Washington will cross paths with the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, which left Norfolk last week to begin a scheduled six-month deployment.
It was unclear Wednesday whether the Eisenhower will go directly to the gulf or operate in and around the Mediterranean. by CNB