DATE: Wednesday, November 19, 1997          TAG: 9711190508

SECTION: FINAL                   PAGE: A10  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY EARL SWIFT, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   59 lines

G.W., NORMANDY HUSTLE TO GULF, LEAVING OTHER SHIPS IN THEIR WAKES

Leaving slower warships in their wakes, the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier George Washington and guided missile cruiser Normandy charged from the Red Sea and swung east around the Arabian peninsula Tuesday, bound for a rendezvous with American forces already mustered for a showdown with Iraq.

Trailed by the fast-attack submarine Annapolis, the destroyer Carney and the fast combat support ship Seattle, the Norfolk ships were steaming east in the Arabian Sea shortly after noon Tuesday, Norfolk time.

``We're moving along real good, leaving a rooster tail,'' joked Capt. James F. Deppe, commanding officer of the 567-foot Normandy, which left Norfolk with other ships of the George Washington battle group Oct. 3.

Ahead lies a dash across the peninsula's south coast, then a turn north to the Strait of Hormuz - beyond which the ships of the Nimitz battle group and the Middle East Task Force are standing by in the Persian Gulf.

Deppe said he expected to reach the gulf ``toward the end of the week'' - an arrival that will cap the largest concentration of naval power in the gulf since last September.

The earlier armada was created when the Norfolk-based carrier Enterprise and several escorts joined the West Coast-based carrier Carl Vinson and its battle group to smite Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein over his siege of Kurds in northern Iraq.

The G.W. brings the offensive punch of its air wing to the current American buildup. The Normandy, Carney and Annapolis pack Tomahawk cruise missiles, with which the ships can bombard inland targets with precision; the Normandy alone boasts 122 launch tubes that can house the weapon.

``The crew is very upbeat,'' Deppe said by satellite telephone. ``They've been training to do this for many, many months, and now we've gotten the call. They're excited.''

Sailors on the cruiser said they were, in fact, eager to put their training to use, but stressed that onboard life had not much changed with the Normandy's sprint through the Red Sea.

``We're doing exactly what we were doing,'' said Petty Officer 1st Class Richard Van Driesen, an electrician's mate from Moyock, N.C. ``The crew, I think, is actually handling it pretty well.''

``We're just taking care of the daily maintenance,'' agreed Petty Officer 1st Class Kevin Henry, of Chesapeake. ``Nothing has changed in our routine.''

When Deppe mustered his crew on the mess decks last week to explain why the ship had been roused from its Mediterranean Sea cruise and dispatched to the gulf, his sailors' questions weren't about safety or the likelihood of war, Van Driesen said. They asked whether they'd be able to continue calling home and using e-mail, and whether they'd get paid more.

``It reflected what was important to us,'' he said. ``And the answer to all three questions was: `Yes.' ''

Regardless of what the coming days hold, Deppe said the families of Normandy sailors should rest easy. ``We're extremely well-trained, and they know that,'' the captain said. ``And I'm committed to keeping my crew safe every step of the way.'' MEMO: PILOT ONLINE: The battle group's TalkNet discussion, updated

G.W. tracking map and a link to the ship's Web site are on the News page

at (www.pilotonline.com)

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