DATE: Saturday, June 21, 1997               TAG: 9706210298

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   51 lines

5 AREA SHIPS COMPLETE INTERNATIONAL EXERCISES

Four Norfolk-based Navy ships, along with a Coast Guard cutter from Portsmouth, wrapped up their participation in one of the largest naval exercises in recent years Friday in the Baltic Sea.

The guided-missile cruisers Cape St. George and Anzio, guided-missile frigate Estocin, coastal patrol boat Thunderbolt and Coast Guard cutter Legare were the American representatives among a flotilla of 50 ships from 13 nations that participated in the annual BALTOP exercise.

Earlier this week they joined NATO allies and former adversaries from the Soviet Bloc to form a unique armada of 30 of those ships, plus dozens of helicopters and jets, to show off their combined might.

``We had them all lined up in two rows a thousand yards apart, sailing across the Baltic,'' said Rear Adm. James B. Hinkle, commander of Cruiser/Destroyer Group 8, also based in Norfolk.

``It looked like something out of Dunkirk,'' he said, referring to the French port city where 800 vessels evacuated 338,000 allied troops during World War II.

All navies active in the Baltic were invited to participate in the exercise, which was intended to promote joint and multinational coordination and to increase mutual understanding within the region, according to NATO officials.

Participating countries included Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Ships included everything from fast patrol boats to mine hunters, corvettes, frigates, cruisers and submarines. Among the smallest was the 170-foot Thunderbolt, based at Little Creek.

Norfolk-based sailors exchanged places with many of the foreign mariners for the week to observe how they worked and lived at sea.

``For us this is very small investment . . . when you consider what we get out of it,'' Hinkle said, noting that seeing the pride of small nations that sent their best ships and crews to participate was among the top rewards.

``And the navy-to-navy contact at the officer and enlisted level will last for a long time,'' he said. ``It is a good training ground and good exercise, and we think it is worthwhile being here. Also, they offer some of the best port visits in world.''

Hinkle was speaking by telephone from Kiel, Germany, where the ships docked Friday. There they will watch an annual sailing festival before heading out Monday.

Next week will see the Anzio and Estocin going to Norway, Sweden and Ireland. The Cape St. George will head to Germany, The Netherlands, France and Ireland. The Legare and Thunderbolt will make port at Estonia and Lithuania. KEYWORDS: U.S. NAVY

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