1 Sept
USS BLUE RIDGE, command ship for Commander,
SEVENTH Fleet, arrives in the Persian Gulf.
3 Sept
Operation SHARP EDGE continues as 63 more people are evacuated. This
brings the total number of people evacuated from Liberia to 1,858, including
147 Americans. USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER and USS TICONDEROGA transit Strait
of Gibraltar en route East coast homeports.
4 Sept
Department of Defense announces that there have been about 550 intercepts
and about 20 boardings since maritime intercept operations began. USS GOLDSBOROUGH
(DDG 20) intercepted and an embarked U.S. Coast Guard Detachment boarded
the Iraqi bound and Iraqi registered motor vessel ZANOOBIA. The motor vessel,
loaded with tea, had refused orders to either return to its port of origin
or proceed to a non prohibited port. Amphibious ships USS SHREVEPORT, USS
TRENTON, USS GUNSTON HALL, USS PORTLAND, and USS SPARTANBURG COUNTY, with
components of the 4th MEB embarked, transit Suez Canal. The Fast Sealift
Cargo Ship ALGOL, with elements of the 24th (Mechanized) Infantry Division
embarked, arrives in Saudi Arabia.
5 Sept
The Navy lifts the firing suspension for USS WISCONSIN's 16 inch guns.
USS ACADIA (AD-42) departs San Diego with crew of 1,260, including 360 women.
This is the first war-time test of the combined male- female fighting force.
6 Sept
Department of Defense announces that there have been about 580 intercepts
and about 25 boardings since maritime intercept operations began. Amphibious
ships USS NASSAU, USS RALEIGH, USS PENSACOLA and USS SAGINAW, with components
of the 4th MEB embarked, transit the Suez Canal. The Fast Sealift Cargo
Ship DENEBOLA, with elements of the 24th (Mechanized) Infantry Division
embarked, arrives in Saudi Arabia. Effective today, Liberia and Kuwait are
designated as countries at which Imminent Danger Pay is authorized. Operation
SHARP EDGE continues as 76 more people are evacuated. This brings the total
number of people evacuated from Liberia to 1,936, including 151 Americans.
7 Sept
ARG ALFA units USS OKINAWA, USS OGDEN, USS FORT MCHENRY, USS DURHAM
and USS CUYUGA, with the 13th MEU embarked arrive in the Gulf of Oman. Hospital
Ship USNS COMFORT arrives in Gulf of Oman.
8 Sept
Amphibious ships USS IWO JIMA, USS GUAM, USS LA MOURE COUNTY and USS
MANITOWOC, with elements of the 4th MEB embarked, transit Suez Canal. Hospital
Ship USNS COMFORT arrives in the Persian Gulf
9 Sept
Operation SHARP EDGE continues as 94 more people are evacuated, including
10 Americans. This brings the total number of people evacuated from Liberia
to 2030, including 161 Americans.
11 Sept
ARG BRAVO units USS DUBUQUE, USS SCHENECTADY and USS SAN BERNADINO,
with the 1/6 Battalion embarked, arrive in the Gulf of Oman. Amphibious
ships USS SHREVEPORT, USS TRENTON, USS GUNSTON HALL USS PORTLAND, and USS
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, with components of the 4th MEB embarked, arrive in the
Gulf of Oman.
12 Sept
Operation SHARP EDGE continues as 12 more people are evacuated, including
6 Americans. This brings the total number of people evacuated from Liberia
to 2042, including 167 Americans. USS BIDDLE (CG-34) diverts freighter in
N. Red Sea.
13 Sept
ARG BRAVO units USS DUBUQUE, USS SCHENECTADY and USS SAN BERNADINO,
with the 1/6 Battalion embarked, arrive in Saudi Arabia.
14 Sept
USS JOHN F. KENNEDY Carrier Battle Group transits Suez Canal into Red
Sea. Hospital ship USNS MERCY arrives in the Gulf of Oman. Amphibious ships
USS NASSAU, USS PENSACOLA and USS SAGINAW, with components of the 4th MEB
embarked, arrive in the Gulf of Oman.
16 Sept
USS O'BRIEN (DD-975) intercepted the Bahamian-flagged merchant tanker
DAIMON, logging the 1,000th intercept since the multinational operations
began (averaging 40 intercepts and 4 boardings per day). Amphibious ships
USS IWO JIMA, USS GUAM, USS RALEIGH and USS LA MOURE COUNTY, with the remainder
of the 4th MEB embarked, arrive in the Gulf of Oman.
20 Sept
SECDEF announces that effective 17 Sept 1990, personnel on duty in the
Middle East will receive Imminent Danger Pay (IDP). USS MONTGOMERY (FF-1082)
diverts freighter in N. Red Sea.
21 Sept
Off the coast of Liberia, Operation SHARP EDGE units embark 25 additional
evacuees, including one American. This brings the total number of evacuees
to 2,116, including 162 Americans.
23 Sept
USNS MERCY (T-AH-19) and USNS COMFORT (T-AH-20) steam together for the
ffrst time in the Arabian Gulf, making Naval medical history.
27 Sept
With Operation SHARP EDGE, U.S. Marine helicopters carried more than
a ton of emergency medical supplies from the U.S. Embassy in Freetown, Sierra
Leone, to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia. The USS BARNSTABLE COUNTY and the
USS WHIDBEY ISLAND, the two amphibious ships remain off-shore. To-date,
the number of evacuations is 2100, and that included more than 200 U.S.
citizens.
USS ELMER MONTGOMERY (FF-1082) fires the first warning shots by U. S. forces
during a merchant interception, and then boarded the Iraqi tanker TADMUR,
as it was proceeding south out of the Gulf of Aqaba.
29 Sept
USS MONTGOMERY diverts a freighter in N. Red Sea.
Return to Desert Shield/Desert Storm
Index 
Return to Naval Historical
Center home page.
07 October 1997
