European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 25, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday March 25, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 3 in the Gulf allies quickly wiped out iraqi Navy by Luke Britt Middle East Bureau aboard the Carrier rang Fri the Royal iraqi Navy now consists of one patrol boat limping harmlessly inside the territorial Waters of Iran according to  officers who ran the Allied naval offensive in the persian Gulf. A on Jan. 16, Saddam Hussein had a Navy. Today he does not a said capt. Tom Forbes who commanded a . Navy destroyer and. Helped coordinate the ship to ship fight in Northern Gulf was ters. \ a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Allied forces Sank or a rendered inoperable about 110 iraqi War vessels Forbes and other Navy commanders said. Except for the one patrol boat Only civilian Craft called into iraqi military service survived the War., the Allied Navy totalled about 160 ships of which about 100 were from the United states according to a Central come spokesman. Only a handful however got the Chance to participate in the annihilation of the iraqi Navy said rear adv Ronald Quot Zlatoper commander of one of four . Carrier Battle groups deployed in the War. A the War on the water was really Over in about two weeks a Zlatoper said. A after that we just did some mopping up  the Navy commanders said they were disappointed by Media coverage of their Corner of the Gulf War especially the . Action at Sarah Island where 50 iraqis were captured in late january and the first piece of kuwaiti soil liberated. The fight for Babiyan Island in january also went largely unreported they said although coalition ships battled there for 36 hours and destroyed 25 iraqi vessels without a single Allied loss. At by Bryan coalition ships navigated mine invested Waters to prevent iraqi ships from fleeing to Iran. A we really had amazing Success a Forbes said. The Allied Navy entered the War prepared for a triple threat according to capt. Ernie Christianson the commander of the Ranger one of two carriers still deployed in the Gulf. Exocet missiles mines and iraqi air attack experience from the Iran Iraq War greatly concerned coalition naval officers Christianson said. A a when it became Clear that the iraqi air Force was trying to avoid the War More than win it much of the tension concerning exocet and other air attacks was lifted Christianson said. Not so for the mines amps Luka Britt members of the 155th ordnance gather around Cluster bombs they helped Load on a-6e and f-14a aircraft operating from the aircraft Carrier Ranger. They Are from left seamen Scott a Wiilliams James Grassman John Chapman and David Curtis. Threat however. More than 1,000 iraqi mines Are believed to have been planted in the gulfs Northern Waters. Many of the floating devices were difficult to track and destroy. A on several occasions Allied ships operated in mine Fields without knowing it he said. A a a a a a a a. A a. A in fact a mine was found in an area my ship had just left a Forbes said. A right Between the horns that detonate the mine explosive experts found a deep crease. When my ship pulled into port for maintenance a Short while later we found our propellor had been damaged by something in the water. A that was a sobering experience a he said. A a a a a a. Despite the density of iraqi floating explosives Only two american ships were damaged by mines. The Cruiser Princeton and the amphibious assault ship Tripoli struck mines in the Northern Gulf on feb. 18. Both ships sustained major damage but returned to port under their own Power. Despite hazardous conditions for a time injuries on Board were mostly minor. It was coalition efforts to combat the iraqi mines that led to the liberation of Sarah Island Forbes said. At the time Navy planners were hoping to capture charts of iraqi mines in the Gulf. A search began for an iraqi mine laying vessel that might have such documents aboard. A we encountered one within sight of Sarah a Forbes said. A we fired into its Stern so it  sink right away then we inserted Navy seals and captured the  resort embraces sailors by Lee Stokes United press International 11urghada, Egypt cabbie Jalal Louis pulled out a wad of $5 Bills and with a wide Grin pointed to the american warships anchored off this red sea resort. A i love America a he said. A they helped us win the War. Now they re helping us win the  since the end of the persian Gulf War . Sailors have been relaxing in Hur Ghada before their warships return  a recent Spring Day the Gray bulks of the aircraft Carrier America and the guided missile Cruiser Normandy sat peacefully in the Turquoise Waters off one of Egypt a most popular tourist resorts. Hur Ghada which has a population of some 30,000, lies about 250 Miles or a six hour drive North of Cairo. The sight of sailors from the warships brought whoops of Joy from local shop keepers hoteliers and restaurant owners who have seen their lucrative Trade disappear because tourists were too frightened by the War to visit the Middle East. A those locals who dislike having their sleepy resort turned into a recreation Center for the . Military appear to make up Only a Small minority. R when the Normandy was spotted approaching Hurt Hadar a Rocky coast Young men in the towns Bazaar whistled and cheered. A bring All the Navy Here. Well give them a Good time and a Good Price a said one youth in a Djel Laba or Long Loose arabic gown reaching to his Ankles. He peddled his fathers Copper and brass goods. A thu Ghada grew up As a resort town and people Are used to the eccentric ways of tourists a said Mohammed Baz a primary school teacher who belongs to a Volunteer organization that offers free assistance to visitors. A unlike Luxor you can walk around in shorts Andi nobody w ill blink an  Baz said there were a few cases of sailors getter drunk and fighting with locals but such incidents were rare. A most of the people Here Are muslims so it is not Nice for them to see people drinking Beer during a a Pun the sea air land specialists did find some charts and other documents but the seals noticed something else As they were scuttling the ship a iraqi soldiers on the Island with their hands raised. A in about four hours we had captured the mine layer the documents and the first piece of kuwaiti ground a Forbes said. In addition to Navy efforts afloat the sea service played an important role in the air Campaign against Iraq launching More than 16,000 sorties from carriers in the Gulf the commanders said. Quot Navy fighter planes were involved in the first air attacks against Iraq in january and participated in the closing Battles of the ground War when Republican guard units tried to flee Kuwait City Zlatoper said. And Cash Madan the holy month of fasting a the 32-year-old said. A but As Long As the americans drink inside their hotels it is no problem. A this town makes its living from tourism. They Welcome the american troops As bridging the Gap for what otherwise has been the worst season in living  but some entrepreneurs say hat while local businesses Welcome the american troops they would prefer to see the return of Ordinary tourists a a it a not that the egyptians done to like americans. They were very Happy when America beat Saddam Hussein. But they prefer to Deal with Ordinary tourists a said a German woman who manages one of Hurt Hadar a most popular fish restaurants. A there is always the fear that soldiers can get Nasty have a few drinks too Many and smash the place up. You re always on your guard looking Over your shoulder. A a we be never had a problem with americans that we  handle ourselves a said the owner of a popular bar