THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 15, 1997 TAG: 9702150223
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 60 lines
After nearly six months in the steamy Persian Gulf, the 347 men and women aboard the destroyer Stump are shivering in their peacoats as the ship slices through the Atlantic chill on its way to a Sunday homecoming here.
``The temperatures were in the 80s and 90s most of the time,'' said Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Gilbert, speaking by satellite telephone while the Stump was still 800 miles from Norfolk. ``We didn't even wear jackets until we got to the Med.''
But the rather gloomy forecast for Sunday - cloudy, possible snow flurries, with temperatures ranging from 32 to 45 degrees - doesn't faze Lt. Cmdr. Bob Malouin, the ship's executive officer.
``We're just glad we can come in on the weekend,'' he said. ``We're looking forward to it even if it is cold.''
The ship is scheduled to dock at 9:30 a.m. at Pier 25 of the Norfolk Naval Station. Normally, the Navy doesn't allow weekend dockings due to the added expense of civilian dock workers and tug operators.
``But for a deployer the Navy really goes out of its way to do everything they can for you, and we're really glad,'' said Malouin.
The Stump, commanded by Cmdr. Gregory S. Cruze, left Norfolk Aug. 23. It has been part of the Middle East Task Force, sailing with the guided missile frigate Stephen W. Groves, based in Pascagoula, Miss.
Together they patrolled the Persian Gulf, enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq and supported Operation Southern Watch.
Frequently the crews' worst enemy was boredom, as the ships steamed in circles in a geographic ``box,'' Tomahawk cruise missiles at the ready.
``That gets pretty boring because you can't be doing a whole lot of other things,'' said Malouin.
But the Stump's crew also boarded more than 50 merchant ships to ensure compliance with U.N. sanctions against Iraq, and its helicopter detachment flew more than 750 accident-free flight hours.
Neither the Stump, nor the Groves, were forced into any hostilities during the cruise.
``On one hand you train up all the time and it is one of the primary missions for this kind of ship, a Spruance-class destroyer with 61 Tomahawks,'' Malouin said. ``It's what you do, what you train for, to be at the pointy end of the spear, if you will. So in a way, part of you says if we've got to do it, I'm glad we are here.
``On the the other hand, we didn't have to fire any shots in anger and we're coming home with the same number of crewmen we left with, which means it was a successful deployment for us.''
The Stump spent 80 percent of its time underway. It spent Christmas and New Year's Day in port, but Thanksgiving at sea.
Stump's crew includes 55 women, the first to make a lengthy deployment aboard the ship. Their presence, Malouin said, helped raise the crew's overall quality, probably brought a bit more courtesy aboard and eliminated some of the saltier language.
``The bottom line,'' said Malouin, ``is when you put young men and women together, there is a lot of training that goes up-front and a lot of counseling, so they know how to work in that environment. I think that pays dividends.''