THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 11, 1995 TAG: 9510100298
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MELISSA GUNDEL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
I'd like to know what information you have on the Vella Gulf and which group it is affiliated with.
The Aegis guided-missile cruiser Vella Gulf was built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., and ``laid down'' - the start of construction - on April 15, 1991.
The ship was launched June 13, 1992, and commissioned Sept. 18, 1993. The cruiser is of the Ticonderoga class and is affiliated with the Eisenhower battle group.
The ship is named for the World War II naval battle fought on the night of Aug. 6, 1943, during the Solomons Campaign in Vella Gulf, between the island of Vella Lavella and Kolombangara in the Pacific.
The ship is capable of sustained combat operations in any combination of anti-air, anti-submarine, anti-surface ship, or strike warfare near land and on the open ocean. The ship's home port is Norfolk.
Incidentally, this is the second ship named Vella Gulf. The first Vella Gulf was an escort aircraft carrier, which joined the fleet in 1944.
It was sold to American Ship Dismantlers Inc. of Portland, Ore., in 1971 and scrapped.
I'm retired Air Force and I tried to get on to Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach and I was told that I was not allowed to use it because I was not an active-duty guard.
I was under the impression that if you had proper identification, I.D. card, and a base decal sticker on your car, you were allowed to use the installation.
I understand there are certain areas you are not allowed to use, but I didn't know they could block you from a total use of an installation.
Federal identification cards and vehicle stickers will not allow you on the State Military Reservation at Camp Pendleton, because it is not a federal facility. The site belongs to the commonwealth of Virginia and is designated a closed National Guard training site.
Access is limited to members of the Army and Air National Guard and other personnel authorized for specific activities.
If you want to get into Camp Pendleton, you must send in a letter to the adjutant general of Virginia and state your reason in the letter. Then the request is reviewed by the assistant chief of staff for training in Richmond. Allow up to 90 days for a response if you are a civilian. Active-duty members of the National Guard have priority over anyone. by CNB