European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 03, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse There a plenty of action on the Saratoga flight deck As aircraft handlers Park an Faha Hornet by j. King Cruger Mediterranean Burea Mission accomplished Mayport Fla. A it s not Monte Carlo but to some 5,000 sailors it looke even better than. The Mediterranean resort. This Navy port is Home to the Carrier Saratoga and is where the ship Row is after playing a starring role m the Gulf War. A. Tens of thousands were on hand to Welcome the Carrier Home last week. Among relatives and friends. A a a of to the Middle East on aug,_7 the Carrier had Long been scheduled to depart on that Date for what was to have been a six month routine deployment to he Mediterranean. The Crew of 5,000,.many of them barely out of High school had been looking for wan to a cruise filled with visits to storied ports. S a but the Saratoga responding to iraqis invasion of Kuwait on aug. 2, left Mayport Quot with its hair on fire Quot and with orders to Cross the Atlantic at top Speed. A. A Saratoga poured on the Power pounding through the seas at 25 knots about 30 Mph it Atlantic in m five Days the fastest since world War ii according to the Navy. A. A a a a �.,. A Palma be dorm Nice a pleasure ports Long a. M anticipated a Slid past As the Saratoga transited the. A Mediterranean without pause slipped through the Suez p canal and relieved the Carne Eisenhower Irr the Northern. Red sea on aug. 22, a a >1 the Saratoga Battle group 13 ships including the 990 a foot Long earlier and the battleship Wisconsin a policed the. Seas. The group logged 550 boardings of foreign vessels a and diverted 40 ships from their intended destinations. A g it j "1 v a a. ,s7 i a Quot x7 w j amp a a a an a-6 intruder catches an arresting Cable and comes to a Stop on the Carrier flight deck. Page 14 a the stars and stripes a after weeks on station Saratoga s Crew finally got some Liberty ashore m Turkey in Early october before heading Back to sea. The Saratoga remained there until the first week of december when it headed for the a a Eastern Mediterranean and port visits to Antalya Turkey and Haifa Israel a a. A a tragedy awaited at Haifa where. 21 Crew members died a just before Christmas when a civilian ferry Sank carrying them Back to the anchored Carrier. A a a Quot there probably in t a Man on the ship who does t m know someone who was lost at Haifa,, Michael h Kac Marek the carriers executive officer who was a interviewed on Board As the ship sailed through the �Mediterranean on its Way Home. Wednesday a
