European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 18, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2b the stars and stripes sunday september 18,1986 Navy plans to relax persian Gulf patrols Washington not in a response to the reduction of tensions brought about by the Iran Iraq cease Eire the . Navy plans to relax the Protection it provides to merchant ships in the persian Gulf administration officials said. White Navy ships will continue to patrol Gulf Waters and stay in position to Aid merchant vessels if attacked most civilian ships will not be directly escorted in convoys through the Gulf the officials said. That includes Oil tankers owned by news briefs Kuwait that were preregistered to Fly the american Flag. Among ships that might still travel under close escort Are those delivering american arms. The decision which has not been approved by the White House will allow the Navy to begin a modest reduction in its Gulf Fleet. Officials said he changes Are certain to be put into effect after consultation with allies and Friendly nations in the Region. The reduction will be barely notice Able at first the United states has about 24 warships in the Region and it is Proba ble that Only one or two frigates will initially be withdrawn. Officials at the Pentagon and the state department said the new operating plan will be comparable to what one called a zone  merchant ships will move in Normal shipping channels through the Gulf pass ing from one zone to another always within fairly Short distance of an Ameri can or Allied warship. Since Early 1987, the Navy has closely escorted through the Gulf All ships flying the american Flag. In july 1987, the ships began to sail to convoys. Defense department officials have said for the last month that they would move at quickly at possible to reduce the Gulf Fleet when it became Clear that the cease fire that went into effect on aug.20 had lowered the danger to Neutral shipping. So far Only one notable change has been made in the Heel the recent Depar Ture of the Cruiser Vincennes which injury shot Down an iranian passenger Jet Over the Gulf killing 290 people. U.s., Syria try to Avert renewal of lebanese War Damascus Syria a . Envoy Rich Ard Murphy held a crucial meeting saturday with syrian president Hafez Assad in an Effort to help Lebanon out of a political crisis thai i threatening to reignite that country s civil War. Jibran Nourieh. A syrian presidential spokes Man said the talks were about the situation in Lebanon and in the Middle East . And syrian officials would not elaborate on the talks which lasted two hours and 15 min utes. But one . Source said Murphy May travel to Lebanon in the coming few hours for meeting with lebanese officials including president Amin  United states and Syria have been trying to ensure that a president is elected in Lebanon before Friday when Gemayel s six year term expires. Under the Constitution he May not seek a second consecutive term. Israelis kill palestinian wound 24 in territories Jerusalem a israeli troops killed one palestinian and wounded 24 others in the occupied lands saturday Arab sources said. The violence occurred As residents observed general strike to Mark a massacre of palestinians in Lebanon six years ago. Saturday also was the i oth anniversary of the signing of the Camp David accords which called for palestinian self Rule in the i i Hilt to Ivi  wiluii.1i1 i.1uwu to statement on the accords saying these agreements created a turning Point in the history of the Middle East. They proved that it s possible to achieve peace Between Israel and its neighbors that the hatred which prevailed is not  Egypt marked the anniversary by once again blaming israeli intransigence for the accords fail ure to give the palestinians in the occupied lands a voice in ruling themselves. 2 soldiers injured when truck crashes into vacant House Schwabish Hall West Germany is two . Soldiers were injured Friday when their truck crashed into a vacant House in  thann about 12 Miles West of Ansbach at 4 45 p.m., a vol corps official said saturday. The soldiers Are stationed with Btry a sch in 43rd air defense arty near Sunburg in . They were taken to a civilian Hospital in Ansbach by a of Man ambulance. One Soldier was later transferred to the . Army Hospital in a Litzburg the other to a German Hospital in Dinkels Bilhl the official said. There was no report on their condition. The soldiers names were being withheld until notification of next of Kin. The truck a heavy equipment maintenance Tacti Cal truck Hemet towing a Patriot missile launcher was moving through  As part of a Convoy involved in exercise certain Challenge when the Accident occurred. There was no damage to the launcher or the mis Siles the vol corps official said. The missiles were unarmed and there was no danger of fire or an explosion according to army officers at the scene. The Accident is under investigation. 4 die when charter boat sinks 5 rescued after 18 hours adrift Newport Ore. A five people who survived when their charter boat Sank spent 18 hours clinging to a Small raft and to a piece of wreckage in the Pacific Ocean lashing a dead woman a body to a Bulkhead and watching helplessly As a disoriented Man pulled off his life jacket and swam off to his death. A doctor who treated survivors after they were picked up by coast guard helicopters Friday about 35 Miles from the coast said some were in the life rail some had Hung onto the Side and some Clung to a Bulkhead that became detached from the 45-foot tuna fishing charter boat Cougar As it Sank the second person to die was in the raft. Or. Esther Sewell said but hypothermia apparently made him confused. He saw the helicopter and he got out of the raft and started swimming for it. He started taking off his life jacket Scwll said. One of the survivors Clyde Sloan 41, spent the entire 18 hours in the water clinging to the Side of the life raft his relatives said. He thought he was going to die said his son Rocky Sloan. My dad s Friend died in his  Sloan said his father told hint All nine lied them selves together and took turns in the life raft. When a woman in the raft died they tied her to the bulk head and someone else look her place in the raft he said. After i hair Rescue the survivors were taken to Pacific communities Hospital in Newport about 115 Miles Southwest of Portland. The coast guard was still trying to determine Why the charter boat went Down in apparently Calm seas. The boat s engine room apparently flooded but the Crew did t notice until the vessel already had begun to sink said Veronica Cady of the coast guard Public affairs office in Seattle. The boat owned by depot Day sports fishing & charter was hired for a Day of tuna fishing. The dead were identified As Pat Watson 40. Owner and operator of the boat Rick Moore 26, of Depoe Bay a crewman Richard Boxwell 36, of Corvallis and Hallie Wynne no age available of Lincoln City. Alone with Sloan the survivors were identified As Andy Liddell 34, of depot Bay a charter boat skip per who was acting at a crewman Dale Powell 56, of Aumsville Peter Russell Erickson 47, of Albany 111., and Gary Williams no age available of Lincoln cily. Three of the survivors were admitted to the new port Hospital in serious condition suffering from hypothermia and two were treated for exposure and released said Hospital administrator Tom Olsen. Gilbert from Page 1 great warned Mark Zimmer meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables Fla a woman was killed saturday morning when a Tor Nado hit her Mobile Home in Bexar county about 300 Miles North of Brownsville. A second person died in san Antonio Texas when a Utility pole came crashing into a  midday saturday the Center of the storm was about 220 Miles West Southwest of Brownsville Texas. Maximum sustained winds were estimated to Benear 35 Mph and the storm was expected to weaken further. But rainfall of 10 to 15 inches were forecast. The storm first hit the Yucatan Peninsula on wednesday killing at least 29 people after leaving 69 dead in the Caribbean. Tornado spawned by the storm killed two people in Texas saturday. Gilbert which turned into a Hurricane sept. 10, killed 26 in Jamaica 30 in Haiti five in the Domin ican Republic and eight in Honduras. The storm at one Point packed sustained winds of175 Mph and had gusts of More than 200 Mph. It was the most intense storm on record in terms of barometric pressure which was measured at 26.13, breaking the 26.35 inches recorded for the 1935 Hurricane that devastated the Florida keys. The storm left 500,000 homeless and caused $8 Bil lion in damage in Jamaica. In Haiti the military government declared a state of emergency in three South Ern regions. The storm left the Eastern Yucatan resort of Canon in shambles. About 300,000 people were homeless in Yucatan stale and 10,000 More homeless in Carnap eche on the West coast of the Peninsula. Gilbert stranded 8,000 tourists in Cancun and Coz Mcl left much of the Peninsula without Power. Revellers tap into oktoberfest Munich West Germany a thousands of merry makers jammed downtown Munich on saturday As oktoberfest the world s biggest and Best known Beer Bash began. Officials estimate that More than 6 million people will attend the festivities a two week Binge of hoopla and Beer. The event draws visitors from Home and abroad to savor the traditional oktoberfest fare Ham Hocks sauerkraut grilled Chicken and sausages washed Down with liter glasses of Beer to the sound of blaring bavarian Folk music. Organizers said they expected Strong showings from american italian and japanese visitors. The festival got its Start oct. 12, 1810, when Crown Prince Ludwig who later became King Ludwig i of Bavaria married Princess Therese von Saxony Hilburg Hausen. The original oktoberfest lasted five Days and was held on the same Patch of ground where the event is held today. During the Early  the Royal family paid for the festival. That tradition has Long since faded and visitors arc paying record prices for their brew this year. Festival organizers said a liter of Beer Wilt Cost on average about 6.85 Marks about s3.70. Organizers said hey expected consumption to equal or top last year s figures. Last year revellers drank l,39fi,720 Gallons of Beer and consumed 732,859 grilled chickens and 349,594 pork sausages. The oktoberfest has been Cance Jed 24 limes in 1854 and 1873 because of cholera epidemics and Dur ing and after world War i and world War ii