THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 28, 1996 TAG: 9609280227
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY EARL SWIFT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 60 lines
The aircraft carrier Enterprise will halt its decktop take-offs and landings Sunday.
Its sailors will roll its air wing's F-14 fighter planes, its F/A-18 attack jets, its A-6 Intruders into the hangar bay, leaving the ship's 4.4-acre flight deck empty and quiet.
Then, the Enterprise officers and chiefs will fire up barbecues to mark the halfway point of the Norfolk-based flattop's six-month deployment in the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf.
The carrier, which left Norfolk June 28, will suspend all nonessential operations for a ``steel beach'' party on the massive deck, acknowledging a psychological milestone for both sailors on board and their families at home.
``We do have a bit of a celebration planned,'' Capt. Mike Malone, the Enterprise's commanding officer, said Friday. ``It's our first opportunity to take a break, and we're going to shut down the airplanes for a day, shut down what other work we can.
``For some of the folks it'll mean at least a few hours off, a little break from the routine, and a chance to sit back and reflect a little bit about what we've accomplished.''
Off the coast of Bahrain Friday, the Enterprise has been in the Persian Gulf since Sept. 19, when it completed a dash from the Adriatic to join an American armada staring down Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Its squadrons of fighters and attack planes have enforced the no-fly zone over Iraq since shortly after the carrier's arrival in the region.
But tensions between Iraq and the United States, strained to the breaking point earlier in the month, have eased - and getting over the three-month hump demanded a party.
The day will begin with an ecumenical church service on the flight deck, followed by the barbecue, Malone said. Officers and chiefs will do all the cooking.
``I know I'll be out there flipping hamburgers, and the admiral's even going to come out this time, too,'' he said, referring to the battle group's commander, Rear Adm. Martin J. Mayer. ``That makes it fun.''
As levity-filled as the party may be, the deployment's halfway point begins the most worrisome part of the voyage for Malone, who is on his 11th naval deployment.
``I divide the deployment into quarters,'' the captain said. ``The third quarter is, without a doubt, the toughest time of all. It's why, in the last week, we've spent two half-days talking about safety.
``What we do is not inherently dangerous,'' he said. ``But it is mercilessly unforgiving of inattention. So for me, in this third quarter, my imperative is that all the folks in the crew remain focused on the task at hand.
``For a lot of our folks, there's probably a longing to be back home, to see mom or their wives or children. But for all of us, the imperative is to remain focused.''
Despite their skipper's worries, the crew is looking forward to partying outside in the gulf's 90-degree sunshine, Malone said.
``There won't be any sand and there won't be any ants,'' he said. ``Those are about the only two things we can't arrange for this picnic.''
KEYWORDS: U.S.S. ENTERPRISE by CNB