DATE: Thursday, March 27, 1997              TAG: 9703270367

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A8   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   59 lines

NORFOLK SAILORS CALLED TO STAND BY FOR POSSIBLE ZAIRE EVACUATION

Stretched 5,000 miles from the rest of its Mediterranean Sea amphibious force, the helicopter and troop carrier Nassau was nearing the West African coast of Zaire today, prepared to support allied forces and evacuate Americans if needed.

There are 1,200 Norfolk-based sailors aboard, plus 1,400 Camp Lejeune-based Marines, who are awaiting word as to whether they will be needed to evacuate an estimated 500 Americans caught in the civil unrest among rebels and Zaire's government forces.

``We're transiting off the coast of Africa now, passing the Canary Islands,'' Capt. Kenneth E. Golden, commander of Amphibious Squadron Eight, said by satellite telephone Wednesday.

Golden, whose command is based at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Norfolk, was in the middle of evacuating Americans from civil unrest in Albania in the eastern Mediterranean just a week ago when he got the word to head toward Africa.

``It's been an interesting pace,'' he said. ``We're all over the place right now. It just shows the flexibility we have in the Navy and Marine Corps team to be able to do that.''

His other two amphibious ships, the transport dock Nashville and dock landing ship Pensacola remain in the Adriatic Sea, one supporting 6th Fleet operations and the other standing off the Albanian coast.

A week ago all three ships evacuated more than 400 Americans and foreign nationals from Albania when anarchy broke out.

Today, the Nassau is steaming to the African region, taking up a position off the narrow coast of Zaire where it will be able to launch its helicopters in an emergency.

Across the Zaire River in Brazzaville, Congo, 260 U.S. troops were preparing for the possible evacuation of the 500 Americans living in Zaire. French and Belgian troops were doing similar work for their nationals.

Though the rebels are still far from Kinshasa, many fear a rampage by Zaire's corrupt and poorly paid soldiers if Mobutu dies or the rebels continue their advance.

Looting sprees in 1991 and 1993 left hundreds of people dead and thousands of homes and businesses destroyed in Kinshasa.

Golden said his amphibious group, which left Norfolk in November with the Theodore Roosevelt carrier battle group, is still planning to return home as scheduled.

``We're within a month or so of that goal, to be home on May 23,'' he said.

At this point there is no reason to believe that won't happen.

``The Navy expends a lot of capital and effort to get us home on time, to keep to that six-month cycle,'' he said.

Ironically, it was nearly a year ago that a previous amphibious ready group was called to the stand by off the coast of Liberia for similar duty to help war-ravaged Liberia.

The Navy eventually had to call in the amphibious transport dock Ponce to spend an unplanned 2 1/2 months there so the amphibious ships could return home.

Navy officials said an additional supply ship may be sent to the Nassau. However, it is too early to say whether additional support will be needed.

``Hopefully, we'll be back on time if we can,'' Golden said.

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