THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 18, 1994 TAG: 9411180463
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SARAH MISKIN AND KERRY DEROCHI, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 121 lines
As the long minutes ticked into hours, 5-year-old Ashley Michel looked up at her mother.
``I want my daddy,'' she wailed.
``We all do, honey,'' Tammy Michel said as she nursed her two-month-old son, Nathan, on her lap.
By 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Ashley - whose father, Douglas Michel, was stuck on the carrier George Washington - wasn't the only one wondering what was happening.
Hundreds of loved ones and family members of the 4,800-man crew waited in vain at Norfolk Naval Base as high winds postponed the ship's arrival until this morning, at the earliest.
Although there was a brief respite in the rain as other members of the 15-ship battle group chugged through stormy seas to dock Thursday morning, the weather closed in again by afternoon, denying those waiting all but a glimpse of the George Washington's shape, ghostly in the fog.
``People are disappointed, butthey understand this is the right thing to do,'' said Capt. Robert G. Sprigg, the commanding officer, in a telephone interview. ``This is a pretty expensive national asset. It's our responsibility to keep it safe and our people safe.''
Sprigg said the decision to postpone the return until today was made at 2 p.m. Thursday, when the crew realized the high winds would not diminish enough to allow the carrier safely to navigate the channel.
Wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour can play havoc with the ship's steering when it is traveling at such a low rate of speed. Tugboats used to guide the carrier can't control the ship if it's blown off course.
The carrier is expected to remain anchored one mile from Pier 12 through the night, though that could change if Hurricane Gordon turns west and approaches Hampton Roads. If the weather worsens, the carrier could head back to sea to ride out the storm.
For the crew, the delay means spending one more day at sea after cruising the Mediterranean for more than six months. One more stop in a 51,000-mile deployment.
``We're chomping at the bit,'' said Lt. Cmdr. Matt Brown, in a telephone interview from the carrier. ``Nobody's real excited about it. You don't come thousands of miles just to be stopped a mile from the pier.''
On land, ``so near and yet so far'' was the refrain repeated among groups of family and friends.
On the piers, smaller tents remained empty as gusts wobbled them. In the main tents, families were philosophical.
``It's been six months, what's one more day?'' said Kim Wilson, waiting for her husband, Robert.
Those maintaining the vigil agreed it was more frustrating that the ship was in sight.
``It's worse because you can see the ship out there,'' Katina Beebe and Miryam Levelle said. ``If they were in China, that would be OK because we would expect there to be a delay, but not when it is this close.''
Tempering the frustration was a concern for safety. Alice Wondoloski, waiting for her son, Petty Officer Lance Wondoloski, said the precautions were for the best if they kept the sailors safe.
``We are disappointed, but really we don't want anything to happen to him or the ship,'' she said.
``And it's a beautiful ship,'' added his grandmother, Aldora Gelinas.
New friendships were forged as those waiting chatted and swapped jokes. One woman told of another who had purchased a colorful lei to put around her husband's neck in order to quip, ``Baby, I just couldn't wait to lei you.''
Another told of a woman who had a radio station broadcast a message to her husband: ``Honey, you're a good swimmer: Jump.''
Spirits remained high until the news shortly before 2 p.m. that the carrier would not be coming in until the next day, and then only if the weather improved. Those in the welcoming parties were devastated.
``Where's my daddy?'' a child wailed to his distraught mother.
Giant cakes - with ``Welcome Home USS George Washington, CVN 73'' in red and blue letters on white frosting - remained uneaten, waiting on tables laden with cookies, bagels and sandwiches.
At Pier 12, where the carrier was scheduled to arrive, the red, white and blue banners and rosettes decorating the fences sagged, heavy with water.
It was supposed to be a celebration of the George Washington's first deployment.
Instead, only the guided-missile cruisers Thomas S. Gates and San Jacinto, the guided-missile destroyer Barry and the oiler Kalamazoo were able to come home.
On those ships, loved ones locked in loving gazes and endless smooches.
``Hey, remember to come up for air,'' embarrassed family members warned embracing couples.
On a gray day, amid gray ships and black uniforms, flashes of light were provided by the white hats and beaming smiles of sailors glad to be home after six long months.
For boatswain's mates Craig Brown and Fred Tiedemann of the San Jacinto, the grins were particularly wide.
Having voluntarily served extra watches during the voyage, they were rewarded with the sought-after privilege of steering the giant cruiser into its berth, a task usually reserved for officers.
Their docking was perfect, no small feat in winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour.
``We didn't hit anything, thank God, or it would have been a short career as an officer,'' Brown said. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
TAMARA VONINSKI/Staff
With a new baby in her arms and Brina at her side, Stacy McCleese
waits for husband Randall to arrive from the George Washington on
Thursday. Randall McCleese, who had never seen 4-month-old Brandon,
was one of a lucky few ``new fathers'' to be flown early off the
carrier. Story, A6.
KEYWORDS: HURRICANE GORDON U.S. NAVY by CNB