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USS George Washington Departs Arabian Gulf

Navy Newsstand

Story Number: NNS040706-26
Release Date: 7/6/2004 4:41:00 PM

By Chief Journalist (SW/AW/IUSS) Henry Rice, USS George Washington Public Affairs

USS GEORGE WASH INGTON, At Sea (NNS) -- USS George Washington (GW) (CVN 73) departed the Arabian Gulf July 5, following more than four months on station providing air support for ground troops fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).

GW will now continue to participate in "Summer Pulse '04," the simultaneous deployment of seven aircraft carrier strike groups (CSG), demonstrating the ability of the Navy to provide credible combat force across the globe in five theaters with other U.S. and coalition military forces.

Arriving in the Gulf March 1, GW and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 conducted more than 7,000 sorties, 1,500 of which were directly engaged in OIF. The ships assigned to the George Washington Strike Group, USS Vella Gulf (CG 72), USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), HMCS Toronto (FFH 333) and USNS Supply (T-AOE-6) have initiated or been involved in more than 200 boardings of merchant vessels during maritime intervention operations and logged more than 12,000 surface contacts in the Arabian Gulf.

USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) is scheduled to arrive on station in the Gulf some time later this month, and will pick up where GW left off, supporting coalition forces on the ground in Iraq and providing stability in the region.