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Three words summarize the story of the U. S. Navy in 1987: The Persian Gulf. In the Gulf, the Navy—as in 1986— executed U. S. foreign policy in the net- tlesome Middle East. But 1987 Gulf operations lacked the clearly defined goals of the Navy’s skirmishes with Libya the previous year.
The Navy entered the Gulf determined to keep the Iran-Iraq War from closing down this sea corridor, vital for Western economies. But keeping the oil flowing put the Navy in the no-win role of “peacekeeper” in a violent region. Sailors and civilian observers alike have compared the Navy’s position in the Persian Gulf to the Marine Corps’s predicament in Lebanon in 1983. The tragic loss of lives on the USS Stark (FFG-31) made the comparison chillingly accurate.
While the Gulf occupied the headlines, however, the Navy went about the rest of its business as usual. The fleets participated in their regular slate of deployments and exercises, such as the annual Northern Wedding workout by U. S. and other NATO naval forces. Ships were commissioned; budgets were submitted and defended; and hours of planned maintenance duly were racked up.
John Lehman’s remarkable tenure as Secretary of the Navy ended with his resignation on 11 April. He was replaced by James H. Webb, an ex-Marine-turned- novelist, who was in the process of resigning as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs to write his next book when the President tapped him to become the Navy’s 66th secretary.
In the Headlines
The Reagan administration’s 7 March positive answer to the invitation to let Kuwait reflag 11 oil tankers with the Stars and Stripes guaranteed the Navy headline attention throughout 1987. The reflagged vessels automatically became entitled to U. S. Navy protection, which significantly heightened the Navy’s profile in the Gulf. The Navy simply had been patrolling the sea-lanes along with— at various times—ships from England, France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and the Soviet Union. Now the Navy was
actually escorting tankers from a country providing logistical and financial support to one of the belligerents.
No sooner did the administration announce the reflagging than some Capitol Hill lawmakers began questioning the plan. In the wake of the attack on the Stark, administration officials spent hours assuring nervous lawmakers that the reflagging would not drag the United States into the Gulf War.
The Navy financed Persian Gulf operations out of its hide. Rear Admiral Raymond Walsh, the Navy comptroller, said it came down to “robbing Peter to pay Paul all over the place” to keep the ships steaming. “There’s [sic] probably 150200 programs throughout the Navy that we have deferred money from one month to the next, or from one quarter to the next, in order to make incremental payments on bills.” Personnel accounts largely were spared, Walsh said. “We’ve tried to go to those places that individually were not performing as well as we wanted them . . . and we took small reductions in order to fund the immediate problems.” Ultimately, the Gulf operations cost the Navy $50-$60 million, Walsh said.
Attack on the USS Stark: The Iraqi attack on the Stark happened at 2119 on 17 May as the Stark cruised 80 miles northeast of Bahrain. An Iraqi F-l Mirage jet with two French Exocet missiles slung on its pylons cruised south, hunting for targets of opportunity. According to the post-attack investigation, the Iraqi pilot saw the Stark on his radar and assumed she was a tanker, even though the ship was about 40 miles outside the war-zone boundary. The Iraqi pilot launched his first Exocet at 2107 from 22.5 nautical miles, and his second from 15.5 nautical miles. In little more than a minute, they slammed into the Stark's port side. The first missile tore through the hull eight feet above the waterline, just below the port bridge wing, and passed diagonally though the hull skin. It parted a fire main, and passed through the crew quarters, the barber shop, the post office, and the corner of the chief petty office quarters. Like the Exocet that hit the British destroyer HMS Sheffield in the Falklands Conflict,
the first Iraqi Exocet’s warhead did n° explode. But its 120 pounds of unspen propellant, burning at 3,500° F, everything flammable in its path. } second missile hit 20 seconds later, eU feet forward of the first. Its warhead d>- onated five feet inside the ship.
The intense fires incinerated the cr
the
the
Tem-
quarters and spread vertically, setting radar equipment room and, in turn
combat information center ablaze, peratures soared above 1,800°F. Wid11^, few hours, the ship was listing 16° to Pl from the accumulated weight of wa poured on the inferno. An official report of the incident later praised * heroism the Stark’s crew display^ saving the.ship. About 24 hours after1 ^ attack, the Stark was under tow to rain. Two months later, she sailed un her own power back to the United Staj® , Thirty-seven crew members were kd
in the attack.
The SS Bridgeton: About two mo1 after the Stark attack, the Navy began 1 - first of 22 transits of the Persian , escorting reflagged Kuwaiti tankers other ships. The duties literally bera with a bang when the supertanker Bri
aci
ntbs
and
ton hit a floating mine on 24 July dud11-
her northward passage. The darna-T tanker completed her journey. No na claimed responsibility for the mine, though Iran quickly and somewhat g1
fully said the mine was placed by hand of God.” Two months later,
the
U- S’
umts
Navy and Army special forces tipped “God’s” hand. „
The Iran Ajr: Shortly after midnight ^ 21 September, a helicopter flying n? the USS Jarrett (FFG-33) caught an » nian boat dropping mines into the Per j Gulf. They were the same type of splK ..
had i"
contact mines that the Bridgeton
othef
and that had been found floating on < occasions in the Gulf. The helicoP1 ’ identified in press accounts as an A , MH-58 special warfare gunship, attac and sank the craft with 7.62-mm- '1’|, chine gun fire and 2.75-inch rockets, k ^ ing three Iranians. Twenty-six Iranu'0f
abandoned ship. They were fished on1 the Gulf and taken to the USS La S‘‘ (AGF-3), the Middle East Force flagsN Iran protested that the Iran Ajr was ca -
-[1]® foodstuffs, although world
I
|
sumi
Se
•?n'ans manned several platforms in the
^ -> activity focused on a rig called Qa adat’ 80 miles east-northeast of n- ar- The Iranians used it as a commu- f0atl°ns base, a radar picket, and a base speedboat attacks. About 1330 on 19 v^er, four U. S. Navy destroyers con- 8ed on the rig and gave the Iranians 20 shjnUteS t0 evacuate- A1 about 1400, the of fs formed a column and began the first * wur i
arm,
fired 1,065 high-explosive and "wr-piercing shells, reducing the rig to
amhlf' nf tunctorl motol
opinion
Warily dismissed this claim. On 26 Pteniber, the Iranian prisoners were
Striated.
Iran’s “Oil" Platforms: °ut a month later, the Navy struck 0[)ttler blow to reduce Iran’s predation (L ^u[2] *f shipping. The Navy discovered a *ran was using old oil platforms atie shipping lanes to stage hit-and-run Iraancks on merchant ships. Although the
Gulf they Passes at the rig. In 85 minutes, K
aWble of twisted, scorched metal.
'■H^tf^tfional Highlights
highlights for the year included:
Northern Pacific Operations: Under the direction of Admiral James “Ace” Lyons, then-Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet, the Third Fleet steamed north to the Aleutian Islands at the start of the year to challenge stepped-up Soviet activity in the area. The occasion was Operation Kernel Potlatch 87/1, 23-28 January. The exercise featured twin amphibious assaults on the islands of Adak and Shemya, supported by the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and her battle group. These were the first winter amphibious operations in the Aleutians since World War II and the first-ever winter deployment of a carrier battle group to the Bering Sea. In a Navy press release on Kernel Potlatch, Admiral Lyons said, “No longer will we permit the Soviets to operate with impunity in this important area.”
Three months later, the USS Arkansas (CGN-41) steamed northwest for operations off the Kamchatka Peninsula and returned to home port on 28 June. During 8-16 November, the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and her battle group participated in the northern Pacific exercise, NorPacEx, in the Gulf of Alaska and near Adak.
An unannounced aspect of northern Pacific operations was Operation Shoot-
Ironically, the USS Kidd (DDG- 993)—originally planned for the Iranian Navy but transferred in mid-construction to the U. S. Navy after the Shah was deposed—led the shelling of the Iranian oil platforms. Also participating were the Leftwich (DD-984), John Young (DD-973), and Hoel (DDG-13).
ing Star, in which A-6 Intruders flew mock bombing runs toward the Soviet city of Petropavlovsk, home of a large Soviet naval base. The unarmed aircraft never came closer than 100 miles to Soviet territory, said a Navy spokesman after the San Diego Union published a story in November on the flights.
Battleship Operations: In 1987, the battleships deployed with surface action groups to the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean, en route to support Persian Gulf operations. (See Table 2.) Early in the year, the USS Iowa (BB-61) conducted operations to test concepts for employing remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) with battleships. The first tests, conducted in early February, had mixed results. The RPVs performed superbly, spotting for the Iowa's guns. But four out of five RPVs crashed in recovery attempts. In July, a second set of tests vali-
Table 1 Fiscal Year 1987 Fleet Steaming Days
Actual
| 1st Qtr | 2nd Qtr | 3rd Qtr | 4th Qtr | Annual Avg. | Budgeted Avg. |
2nd Fit | 24.4 | 27.7 | 30.1 | 30.0 | 28.1 | 31 |
6th Fit | 52.1 | 57.5 | 50.2 | 51.3 | 52.8 | 50 |
3rd Fit | 25.2 | 25.2 | 25.6 | 27.6 | 25.9 | 27 |
7th Fit | 46.0 | 60.4 | 47.3 | 60.1 | 53.5 | 51 |
147
™gs / Naval Review 1988
| Table 2 | Battle Group Deployments |
| |
Battle Group | Escorts | Air Wing | Deployed | Notes __________ __ |
|
| Pacific Fleet |
|
|
Carl Vinson | Vincennes (CG-49), Leahy (CG-16), | CVW-15: | 12 Aug. 86- | Entered Indian Ocean: 25 Sept. “Kernal |
(CVN-70) | Jouctt (CG-29), 7W F. Foster (DD-964), | VF-51, VF-111, | 5 Feb. 87 | Potlatch 87-1": 23-28 Jan. Gary detached |
| Marvin Shields (FF-I066), | VA-27, VA-52, |
| for Mid East Force. |
| Brewton (FF-1086), Roanoke (AOR-7), | VA-97, VAW-114, |
|
|
| Flint (AE-32), Berkeley (DDG-15),. | VAQ-134, VS-29, |
|
|
| Bradley (FF-1041), Gary (FFG-51) | HS-4 |
|
|
Nirnitz | South Carolina (CGN-37), Josephus | CVW-8: | 30 Dec. 86- | Departed Norfok. Entered Med 7 Jan. |
(CVN-68) | Daniels (CG-27), Charles F. Adams | VF-21, VF-84, | 2 Jul. 87 | “National Week 87A”: mid-January. In |
| (DDG-2), Richard E. B\rd (DDG-23), | VA-82, VA-86, |
| port, Toulon: late April. Transferred |
| Doyle (FFG-39), W. S. Sims (FF-1059), | VA-35, VAW-124, |
| escorts to Kitty Hawk: 20 May. |
| Trippe (FF-1075), Truett (FF-1095), | VAQ-138, VS-24, |
| Departed Med 24 May. Returned to new |
| Moinester (FF-1097), Kalamazoo (AOR-6), Nitro (AE-23) | HS-9, VQ-2 Dct. |
| home port at Everett, WA. |
Constellation | Valley Forge (CG-50), Fox (CG-33), | CVW-14: | 13 Apr. 87- | Entered Indian Ocean: 14 May. Relieved |
(CV-64) | Worden (CG-18), Crommelin (FFG-37), | VF-21, VF-154, | 13 Oct. 87 | by Ranger and departed Indian Ocean: |
| Ouellet (FF-1077), Cook (FF-1083), | VFA-125, VFA-113, |
| 26 Aug. |
| Camden (AOE-2), Ponchatoula (T-AO-148), | VA-196, VAQ-139, |
| |
| Niagara Falls (AFS-3). | VS-37, VAW-113, HS-8, VQ-1. |
|
|
Kitty Hawk | California (CGN-36), Callaghan | CVW-9: | 3 Jan. 87- | Departed San Diego. Entered Indian Ocean: |
lCV-63) | (DDG-994), Vandegrift (FFG-48), | VF-24, VF-211, | 3 Jul. 87 | 10 Feb. Entered Med via Suez Canal: |
| Barbey (FF-1088). Stein (FF-1065). | VA-146, VA-147, |
| 17 Sep. Detached escorts for Nirnitz |
| Mount Hood (AE-29), Willamette | VA-165, VA-115, |
| escorts: 20 Sep. Departed Med: 20 Jun. |
| (AO-180), Mars (AFS-1) | Det., VAW-112, VS-33, HS-2, VQ-1 Det. A |
| Returned to Philadelphia for SLEP. |
Ranger | Long Beach (CGN-9), Lewis B. Puller | CVW-2 | 2 Mar. 87- | Deployed in place of Midway for Team |
(CV-61) | (FFG-23) |
| 26 Apr. 87 | Spirit 87. |
| Gridley (CG-21), Buchanan (DDG-14), | CVW-2: | 14 Jul. 87- | Deployed two months ahead of schedule. |
| John Young (DD-973), Schofield (FFG-3), | VMA (AWJ-121 | 30 Dec. 87 | Entered Indian Ocean: 20 Aug. Departed |
| Harold E. Holt (FF-1074), Robert E. Peary | VF-1. VF-2. |
| Indian Ocean: 17 Nov. |
| (FF-1073). Witchita (AOR-1), | VA-145, VAW-116. |
|
|
| Shasta (AE-33) | VAQ-131, VS-38, HS-14 |
|
|
Midway | Sterett (CG-31), Horne (CG-30), | CVW-5: | 15 Oct. 87- | Scrubbed from Team Spirit 87 because of |
<C V-41) | Oldendorf (DD-972), Towers (DDG-9), | VFA-151, VFA-192, |
| rolling problems. Entered Indian Ocean: |
| Knox (FF-1052), Francis Hammond (FF-1067), | VFA-195, VA-115, |
| 24 Nov. |
| Cimarron (AO-177), Kilauea (T-AE-26) | VAW-115, VAQ-136, |
|
|
| Mispillion (T-AO-105) | HS-12 |
|
|
|
| Atlantic Fleet |
|
|
John f. | Bainbridge (CGN-25), Harry E. Yarnell | CVW-3: | 18 Aug. 86- | Entered Med: 28 Aug. Extended in Med: |
Kennedy | (CG-17), Dahlgren (DDG-43), | VF-14, VF-32, | 3 Mar. 87 | 27 Jan-22 Feb. Departed Med: 22 Feb. |
(CV-67) | Moosbrugger (DD-980), John Rodgers | VA-66 Det., |
| First deployment of HARM-capable EA-6Bs- |
| (DD-983), Nicholas (FFG-47), Robert | VA-75, |
|
|
| G. Bradley (FFG-49), Elmer | VMA (AWJ-533, |
|
|
| Montgomery (FF-1082), McCandless | VAW-126, VAQ-140, |
|
|
| (FF-1084), Savannah (AOR-4), Santa | VS-22, HS-7 |
|
|
| Barbara (AE-28) | VQ-2 Det. |
|
|
Saratoga | Virginia (CGN-38), Kidd (DDG-993) | CVW-17: | 5 Jun. 87- | Departed Norfolk. Entered Med: 16 Jun. |
(CV-60) | William V. Pratt (DDG-44), Preble (DDG-46), | VF-1-3, VF-94, | 17 Nov. 87 | Departed Med: 6 Nov. Kidd, Klakring, |
| Comte De Grasse (DD-974), Conolly | VA-81, VA-83, |
| Hawes, Flatley detached for Middle |
| (DD-979), Richard L. Page (FFG-5), Flatley | VA-85, VAW-125, |
| East Force: 24 Jun. Returned to Mayport. |
| (FFG-21), Klakring (FFG-42), Hawes | VAQ-137, VS-30 |
|
|
| (FFG-53), Joseph Hewes (FF-1078), Bowen (FF-1079), Butte (AE-27), Merrimack (AO-179) | HS-3 |
|
|
Coral Sea | Yorktown (CG-48), Claude V. Ricketts | CVW-13: | 29 Sep. 87- | Deployed with MARG 4-87. FIntered Med: |
fCV-43) | (DDG-5), Barney (DDG-6), Caron | VFA-131, VFA-136, |
| 11 Oct. |
| (DD-970), Briscoe (DD-977), Thorn | VFA-137, VA-55, |
|
|
| (DD-988), Donald B. Bears (FF-1085), | VA-65, VAW-127, |
|
|
| Ainesworth (FF-1090), Jesse L. Brown | VAQ-133. HS-17 |
|
|
| (FF-1089), Seattle (AOE-3) | Battleship Deployments |
|
|
Iowa | Ticonderoga (CG-47), Dewey (DDG-45), | HSL-36 Det., | 10 Sep. 87- | Iowa, Ticonderoga, Canisteo departed |
(BB-61) | Deyo (DD-989), Paul (FF-1080), | HSL-44 Det. |
| Norfolk. Dewey, Deyo departed |
| Canisteo (AO-99) |
|
| Charleston. Paul departed Mayport. |
|
|
|
| In Med: 20 Sep-22 Oct. Re-entered Med: 8 Nov. Iowa, Ticonderoga, Deyo joined |
|
|
|
| Mid East Force: 25 Nov. |
Missouri | Long Beach (CGN-9), Bunker Hill | No helo detachment | 25 Jul. 87- | Entered Indian Ocean: 26 Aug. Joined Mid |
IBB-63) | (CG-52), Hoel (DDG-13), Leftwich |
| 19 Jan. 88 | East Force: 1 Sep. Detached Mid East |
| (DD-984), Curts (FFG-38), |
|
| Force: 25 Nov. Departed Indian Ocean: |
| Kansas City (AOR-3) |
|
| 16 Dec. |
|
|
|
|
|
ated new recovery procedures. Minesweeper Operations: The Navy ^ployed six minesweepers overseas in for the first time since the end of the 'etnam War. The deployment was one p Several steps the Navy took to counter gCrsian Gulf mining. In response to the rrfgeton incident, the Navy sent eight **-53D minesweeping helicopters to the (U'T operating from the USS Guaclalca- yj (LPH-7). Four small minesweeping oats were taken to the Gulf on board the ^ ^ Raleigh (LPD-1). This was followed • the deployment of six ocean mine. VVeePers (MSOs), three from the Atlan- Fleet and three from the Pacific. To e wear and tear on the aging ships, the S Barbour County (LST-1195) towed ,fte ‘Free—the USS Conquest (MSO- (. Esteem (MSO-438), and Enhance £s ^0-437)—from the West Coast. The ^ eem and Enhance arrived in late Octo- The Conquest, which was damaged ■ |er tow, arrived two weeks later. Simi- *r|y. the USS Grapple (ARS-53) towed ships—the USS Fearless (MSO- (Mv Mus*ve (MSO-448), and Inflict ai ^0-456)—across the Atlantic. They s° arrived at the end of October. As the ear ended, the six MSOs were still in the The RH-53s transferred to the USS th IWavt’a (LPH-3) in mid-November as ^Guadalcanal prepared to leave the
c. ^ACs Overseas: The alligator Navy ci l- UP a f'rst last year when the air- pajion landing craft (LCAC) partici- w- f" in its first major exercise overseas j a Ft- S. allies. The occasion was Val- An* ^sher ’87, a week-long joint U. S.- stralia annual exercise in late Septem- ir/. Operating from the USS German- Cr'!f fhSD-42), LCACs from Assault dj 31 TJnit-5, based at Camp Pendleton, Played their ability to speed over reefs, e ? breakers, and onto the beach at Lan- a,111’ about 115 miles north of Perth, Stralia.
•-^$£5 Warfare Highlights_______________
Th
Cq . renaissance in surface warfare ers, !nue<f in 1987 under the spirited lead- lll ‘P °f Vice Admiral Joseph Metcalf °lht. reiral Metcalf’s well-known “rev- the i°,n at sea” 80SPe' became a reality as AgUSS Bunker Hill (CG-52), the first Sy ®IS cruiser with the vertical launch f>a ern <VLS) began operating with the can* !c Fleet. With these ships, the Navy trjn- deploy on one platform the “holy 'be "a Admiral Metcalf’s revolution: (w. eBis combat system, Tomahawk thre^ missile’ and VLS. During 1987, Bu ° rnore of these ships—the Mobile ' ICG-53), Antietam (CG-54), and
Leyte Gulf (CG-55)—were commissioned, the San Jacinto (CG-56) began sea trials, and three were launched—the Lake Champlain (CG-57), Philippine Sea (CG-58), and Princeton (CG-59).
Aided by these cruiser commissionings, the 600-ship Navy moved closer to reality as ships ordered in the early years of the Reagan administration began reaching the fleet. Fifteen ships were commissioned in 1987. (See Tomorrow’s Fleet, pages 310 to 319.) The Navy ended 1987 with 509 ships in the active fleet and another 44 in the reserve fleet.
Admiral Metcalf retired on 1 November. He was replaced by his Assistant Deputy Chief, Vice Admiral John Ny- quist. But with the CNO’s blessing, Admiral Metcalf left behind an apparatus to ensure that his revolution would far outlast his tenure.
Group Mike: Throughout 1987, the Navy systematically studied how its fleet must evolve to fight and win in the 21st century. Admiral Metcalf spearheaded the effort, which is called Group Mike in recognition of his initiative. Group Mike is organized into three groups: the Surface Combatant Force Requirements Group, the Ship Operational Characteristics Group, and the Group Mike Working Group.
The Surface Combatant Force Requirements Group concluded its work last fall with a round of briefings in September and October on the number and mix of ships the Navy will need beyond the year 2000. The Ship Operational Charac-
The Grapple (ARS-53) towed the Fearless (MSO-442) and two sister minesweepers across the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf. The towing operation was mirrored by Pacific Fleet units.
*“roc
of
different pace than the Navy plann
,ed-
but they were five cruisers—the las11
tie-
three Arleigh Burke (DDG-51)-class u ^
destroyers, though, until the prog
rai”
works out its growing pains. In June.
sion of Litton Industries as the sccon source for the Arleigh Burke class. Avenger Commissioned: On 12
uss
rn>ne
for a class of surface-effect-ship
afl'
Admiral Metcalf, left, watched as his “revolution at sea” concept became a reality on the Bunker Hill, the first Aegis cruiser to be equipped with the vertical launch system.
teristics Group aims to identify the factors that drive ship design, including everything from administrative to watchstanding to war-fighting requirements.
Group Mike is coordinating the three panels and working to ensure that their efforts are translated into reality. This calls for converting the operators, who establish warship requirements, and the systems commands, which will design the next generation of warships, weapons, and equipment.
The Paperless Ship: Admiral Metcalf commissioned a separate initiative that illustrates what the Ship Operational Characteristics Study is all about—the “paperless ship.” The paperless ship study tallied the amount of paper on the USS Wadsworth (FFG-9) at 21 tons. It included: crew service records; technical manuals for machinery, electronics, and weapons; and even the ship’s library. And a third of the paper was stored above the main deck. If all this paper was stored electronically—on laser disks and laser cards—ships would have that much more space and weight available for weapons and fuel.
The Navy began testing concepts for the paperless ship in 1987 with local area networks on board the Leyte Gulf and Rodney M. Davis (FFG-60). Further tests are planned for 1988 and 1989 for squadrons, submarines, and surface ships, with a goal of achieving the first paperless ship in an operating fleet in 1990.
Aircraft Carrier Controversies: Aircraft carriers, new and old, made news in 1987. The administration’s request for advance procurement for two Nimitz (CVN-68)-class carriers in the fiscal year 1988 budget sparked what experienced Washington hands called the “predictable” debate on Capitol Hill. Even though the amount was modest—$644 million for fiscal year 1988—the request was unexpected and led to the usual panoply of hearings before various House and Senate committees. The request survived the hearings and several attempts to kill the carriers by amendment, because the lawmakers could not refute the Navy’s sound business judgment behind the issue. The carriers, the seventh and eighth of the giant Nimitz class, will replace other aging carriers that will be at the end of their service lives when the new ones reach the fleet in the late 1990s. The Navy was quick to point out to Congress that the replacement carriers will cost less if they are ordered before Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company starts dismissing the trained work force that is building the Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and George Washington (CVN-73). Newport News Shipbuilding is the only shipyard capable of building these ships.
The Navy’s carrier request actually benefited from the travails of one of the oldest flattops in the fleet, the USS Midway (CV-41). The First of the two replacement carriers, Navy officials told Congress, is slated to replace the Midway in 1997, when the ship will be 52 years old. But concurrent with the carrier hear
of
had
eroded over the years after the addition new planes and equipment. Unfortunately, the blisters made the ship r0 quickly from side to side, jeopardiz|nr aircraft recovery and handling. In addition, the blisters funneled green watuf onto the flight deck and deck-edge eleva" tors, exacerbating aircraft handling an corrosion problems. Secretary Lehma1' used the Midway's troubles as proof thal the Navy needed to build replaceme11 carriers.
In December, the Senate Appropr'a tions Committee, led by chairman J°dn Stennis (D-MS), raced beyond ^ Navy’s $644 million advance-procure ment request and earmarked full funding —$6.32 billion—for the two carrier^ The House consented in conference a'1 the full funding passed both chamber’’'
Despite winning full funding for u* carriers, the ending was not entire j happy. Congress rejected a Senate Pr^ posal to retire the Midway in spring 19° ’ a move the Senate said would save $'-' million in operations and maintenance costs. But the idea is not dead. The de fense appropriations bill explicitly f°r bids the Navy to perform any major over haul work on the Midway, wh'c apparently includes the $80 million job 0 restoring the ship’s stability by altenn- the blisters.
Aegis Steams On: Aegis ship proCUl®^ ment continued in 1987, although at
Congress gave the Navy five Aegis ship’’'
- 1 0* the 27 ships planned for the TiconderoJd class. The Navy wanted two cruisers aU stroyers. Congress balked at authoriz'1^
the
Navy named Ingalls Shipbuilding D'Vj
tember, the Navy commissioned the U Avenger (MCM-1), the first new mb’ sweeper to join the fleet in 29 years. 1 ^ Avenger is the first of a planned class 14 oceangoing mine countermeasu ships. The Navy also quickly got its tr .. bled coastal minesweeper program ba on track following the demise of its P,a
sweepers. The Navy went overseas selected a modified version of the LC
. ,WHARTON/THEIMER)
Injnc^Untcr> designed by the Italian firm |la?rmarmc- By year’s end, Intermarine van met^ w't*1 Hercules' Inc., at a Sa- jn J™1’ Georgia, shipyard to start huddle e first of 17 coastal minesweepers.
fnarjS W't*1 the rest of the Navy, the subin ^community advanced materially liar' ^Wo new nuclear-powered sub- lesln®s entered the fleet—the Los Ange- Kev u^-688)-class attack submarines 725) t (SSN"722) and Helena (SSN- bai]-' . c Navy ended the year with 37 atta'flc missile submarines, 94 nuclear- trie • ^marines, and four diesel-elec- g^ttack submarines.
hard •t*le submarine community had a the lme *'ving up to its reputation as the M.Sl'ent service” last year. Between ttiari dV^’ ingress, and the media, sub- °tit thCS Were 'n ‘he public eye through- Washf ^ear- 7V;c Wall Street Journal, the Ma hfl°n ^ost' anc* Public television’s 'lend eil/Lehrer News Hour” all prom- Their^ *eatured stories on submarines. PttshVnterest was sparked by the Navy’s ClVo- the Seawolf (SSN-21) and by the antis, k ^ec!aration the year before that hiSkU marine warfare (ASW) is his
ss/v priority-
st0 '2/; The Navy pulled out all the Con„ USt year trying to sell the Seawolf to 2l b8fess- The Seawolf, called the SSN- submcause it will be the Navy’s attack
the larnne f°r lhe 21st cemury, wi" be 8est, quietest, most heavily armed,
and tactically fast submarine the Navy has commissioned. The Navy will not seek financing for the first SSN-21 until the fiscal year 1989 budget, but it did ask for and receive almost $257 million in advance procurement last year. On the research and development (R&D) side, however, the Navy survived a scare early in the year when the House R&D subcommittee zeroed the Navy’s $213.2 million Seawolf R&D request. Subcommittee lawmakers killed the money, Navy officials said, as a “shot across the bow” to express their concern about the Seawolf's cost and its capability vis-a-vis the latest Soviet submarines. The money quickly was restored in a compromise that included earmarking $100 million for advanced submarine technology—$87.1 million more than the $12.9 million the Navy requested for this account.
Submarine Technology: Congressional interest in submarine technology did not end with the compromise that restored the Seawolf R&D money. Before the year was over, the defense appropriations bill
The Kitty Hawk (CV-63) said goodbye to San Diego and headed for the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for a three-year service life extension program, before joining the Atlantic Fleet. In another carrier, blisters installed on the Midway (CV-41) to enhance her stability had the opposite effect, as is clearly evident above.
and the defense authorization bill, in a coordinated effort, established a special panel to evaluate advanced submarine technology. Both bills direct the panel to concentrate on hull, mechanical, and electrical (H,M & E) improvements. To finance the program, the authorizers earmarked $100 million and the ap- propriators $112.9 million.
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) set up a separate panel of its staffers to compare U. S. and Soviet submarine technology. According to Russell Murray, a senior committee staffer who
committees to give money to the
vices. But often the appropriators
cut its budget, the Navy dropped | A-6F and plans to upgrade its exir
the
sting
began, the Navy was taking bids ^ The G model was to have: stronger, m1
o(e
,site
efficient engines; larger, comp0^
Newport News got to perform the post-shakedown overhaul of the Nevada to help the company refine its bid to enter the Trident business. Still, General Dynamics won the competition to build the next SSBN.
is leading this group, the panel does not want to undermine the SSN-21. It does, however, want to make sure that if the Navy needs an even better submarine, the committee will be ready to help. Assisting the staffers is an ad hoc “science advisory board” that is guiding the staffers on the arcane technological issues. The committee panel hopes to complete its work before the HASC acts on the fiscal year 1989 defense bill.
Trident Competition: In 1987, Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company bid for the first time on building an Ohio (SSBN-726)-class Trident missile submarine. It bid against General Dynamics’ Electric Boat Division, which has had a monopoly on Trident construction. The bid followed two years of Navy prodding. A Newport News Shipbuilding spokesman attributed the bid to the shipyard having performed the post-shakedown overhaul of the USS Nevada (SSBN-733), the ninth Trident submarine. The Navy awarded the Nevada overhaul to Newport News in order for the company to get a better idea of what is involved in building the massive submarines. Newport News turned in a disappointing bid, however, when it added $85 million in special tooling costs and took exception to the delivery deadline. In early 1988, the Navy awarded the submarine to General Dynamics.
Trident-II: The Navy’s drive to deploy the longer range Trident II ballistic missile continued in 1987 with success on the test range and on Capitol Hill. The test flight program, still in the early stages ot land-based launches, was flawless in 1987. (This success ended early in 1988, however. Ground controllers destroyed the ninth test missile about three minutes into its flight on 22 January when telemetry indicated the missile was flying erratically.) On the Hill, the Navy won financing for as many as 72 Trident-II missiles, even though it sought only 66. This will ensure that the USS Tennessee (SSBN- 734) will have Trident-IIs for her first deployment from Kings Bay, Georgia, in late 1989.
Air Warfare Highlights
The air warfare community gained a new leader last year when Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn replaced Vice Admiral Edward H. Martin as the Deputy CNO for Air Warfare on 15 January. Admiral Dunn's tenure for the year was one of transition amidst turmoil in the hardware programs. Operationally, though, Dunn said that naval aviation started the year in good shape.
" Of course, Persian Gulf operations had an impact as the year wore on. Dunn said, “With the advent of the Persian Gulf operation ... we had to take flying hours, steaming days and spares support out of other units to support those that were in that part of the world. And that was a problem that we were able to overcome, but not without some risk.
Personnel quality remained a bright spot, as more than enough high-quality officer and enlisted recruits opted for naval aviation. The Navy ended the year with 6,338 aircraft in its 234 active squadrons and about 400 aircraft in 52 reserve squadrons.
The Notional Air Wing: The Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) was the first carrier to embark an air wing with a new mix of aircraft that the Navy calls the “notional” air wing. On 28 June, CVW-8 attached ten squadrons, totalling 20 F-14s, 20 A-6s, 20 F/A-18s, 5 E-2s, 5 EA-6s, 10 S-3s, and 8 SH-3s. In 1990, the Abraham Lincoln will be the second flattop to deploy the new mix.
A-6F: Plans to build an updated version of the A-6E Intruder attack jet stalled last year when a budget-conscious Congress refused to authorize procurement of the first 12 A-6Fs. The A-6F would have stronger engines, digital avionics, and better defensive electronics. But, as often happens on Capitol Hill, the lawmakers were not unanimous in their directive. The House and Senate armed services committees, anticipating development of
NEWPORT NEWS
the Advanced Tactical Aircraft, agreed to kill the A-6F in the defense authorizat'0 bill, and Congress agreed. But the appra priations committees gave the Navy million for the plane. (The armed se^ vices committees pass an authorizah
bill that authorizes the appropriati01’
• set"
set their own priorities.) Under pressure
A-6Es under the “digital A-6” progra ^ F-14D: Congress approved the Navy plans for its other major upgrade P gram, the new F-14D Tomcat figWe The fiscal year 1988 defense bills ^ mark $650 million for seven F-14DS an five F-14A+S. The F-14A+ has the &0' powerful engines of the F-14D but not t avionics. The first A+ rolled out in 19 The Navy no doubt helped convince C gress to approve the upgrade when drastically scaled back its plans for ing new F-14Ds. Instead of buying ^ new Ds from Grumman, the Navy t0 Congress last spring that it only want1’ buy 127. It also will convert 400 exist* F-14As that have sufficient airframe * remaining, giving the Navy more F-l for the money. s
P-3 Replacement: The Navy’s P* j for deploying a new maritime Pa‘ 3 plane to replace the P-3C Orion t<>° ^ roller coaster ride in 1987. As the ^ building a new version called the T" wings; modem avionics; longer range(0 endurance; and a stretched fuselag6g accommodate a larger bomb bay. P*1*1.^ only bidder was Lockheed, which but
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and^'^' t*16 ^avy scrubbed the P-3G
ended the year seeking proposals for .•°nverting an existing airframe for mari- me patrol. As the year ended, Lock- 6 ■ McDonnell Douglas, and Boeing ere expected to bid for what the Navy 0 tonally calls the long-range air-ASW- capable aircraft.
st Airship: The Navy took another forward in returning airships to the in iye ^eet 'ast year by awarding West- tra °USe ^'rship Industries Inc. a con- TheN° *,U'*C* a dernonstration airship, airh NaV^ 's considering using airships as ski °rne rac*ar pickets that spot sea- ■mming “stealth” cruise missiles ap- ho^^hing battle groups from over the tracZ°n Westinghouse-Airship con- that *S ^0r a smaller scale airship than str tenv's'°ned. It will be used to demon- Pos h ^ ^eas'bibty of the Navy’s pro- seaTCOnCePt °f operating the airships at din ' would be airborne constantly, Plies ^ t03 suPPly sbip for fuel and sup- ^■But the program likely will be fcrh Ved' The Pentagon killed funding bud a*rship in its proposed 1989 the ^ Admiral Dunn said this reflected °f eed to save money, and not the merit e concept, which is as valid as ever. 19^ 3 Crashes and Cracking Wings: In from' ^1C wear and tear started showing cent t*le stePPed-up fleet activity in re- A.6 years. Three aircraft—the EA-3, most> and E-2C—were affected the 1988 • '^1C blavy budget for fiscal year for ^eluded plans to buy 12 new planes Called ectroi,ic surveillance, notionally Ea o lire “EX,” to replace the aging fyinS' But just three months later, testi- &ess °n t*le budget request before Con- NayS ’/^rrdral Dunn announced that the of / had scrapped its EX plans in favor m0v°nVertin8 12 S_3s into ES-3s. The C0nWas driven by cost and necessity: mucherting the S-3s will cost only half as ES-3 as.buying 12 new planes, and the is notS VV'b reach the fleet quicker. There ofc.a moment to spare, as the number the r . *S dwindling. Last year, two of To „ maining dozen or so planes crashed. Navvaserve its remaining inventory, the tine ^ has restricted the EA-3s from rou- ThCarrier duty.
of "Navy needed emergency infusions and pV^s year to keep its older A-6Es bnq carrier-capable. When Navy feqUeet cutters slashed the 1988 budget in;l(]v,S f°r aircraft modifications they newertently cut money for giving A-6Es ite ^.0rnP°site wings. Until the compos- portj ln8s reach the fleet, a significant C5 the Navy’s A-6s are restricted Crac|(Carrier operations because of fatigue rlnans ln tbeir wings. Congress agreed to Ce the re-winging without hesitation by letting the Navy shift $86 million to the A-6 modifications account. Congress also gave the Navy $39.6 million to replace the center section of the E-2C’s wings, which also began coming down with fatigue cracks that restricted several from carrier duty.
The Course Ahead
Even before 1988 dawned, Navy leaders began bracing for a year of retrenchment. Secretary of Defense Frank Car- lucci set the stage late in 1987 when he ordered the services to cut their budgets for fiscal year 1989, which begins on 1 October 1988. The Navy’s share of the cut is almost $12 billion—an abstract number that will translate into fewer people, less fuel, and stretched-out production lines for weapons and airplanes.
Both Admiral Walsh, the comptroller, and Admiral Dunn said these cuts will not be felt this year. “In 1988 we should do all right,” Dunn said. “I don’t have any problems with that. My problem comes in the later years, ’89 and ’90, as we begin to feel the effects of the reduced budget that we’re facing.”
Of more immediate concern, the Navy likely will find itself battling in 1988 to keep the 15-carrier Navy. Besides the Senate’s call to retire the Midway last December, in January Pentagon budgeters floated the idea of retiring the Enterprise to save the cost of refueling her. Dunn said he expects these proposals to continue surfacing. He stated that:
“It always comes down to about the same answer. Yes, we can decommission carriers, and we can save a lot of money as far as people and fleet maintenance costs are concerned in the short run. But unless you reduce the commitments at the same time in the long run we’re going to sail the carriers that we do have more often, which is going to cause the ships to wear out, the machinery to wear out, the people to wear out. And that’s going to end up with an exodus of people just like we had in the late 70s when we had more commitments than we had ships to satisfy those commitments.”
Mr. Elliott is editor of Navy News & Undersea Technology, an independent newsletter that covers Navy policy and hardware development. He attended the University of Southern California on an NROTC scholarship and received an officer’s commission in the Marine Corps in 1977. After serving in infantry, reconnaissance, and public affairs units, Mr. Elliott resigned his commission in 1982. He worked for daily newspapers in North Carolina until 1986, when he came to Washington to cover the Navy.
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[1]he \rCreWS m'8ht take exception, overall of »Vavy fared well in meeting the Chief ternaval Operations’s (CNO) personnel th P° goals of no deployments of more ti/1 s'x months and no more than 50% shin 3Way *rom home port. Of the 448 33 Ps *n the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, s wet the CNO’s goals. Of the 141 g0aj r°ns in the fleets, 114 made the de ,S‘ (For a breakdown of battle group °yments, see Table 2.) Operational
tPa^l16 ^ers'an Coif operations left their (0 t °n Nayy’s operational tempo hun' ernP°) for the year. As frequently lr(> Cns’ lhe fleet commanders borrowed (k 'he non-deployed fleets to give to deployed fleets. (See Table 1.) Gu,f'h°ugh aircraft carrier and Persian