The USS George Washington is heading to Gulf within 96 Hours.

Fox News | 12/27/02

[Sparta]

The USS George Washington has been put on the alert and told to prepare to deploy within 96 hours to the Persian Gulf. Developing....

[Sparta]

War against Iraq is soon. GOD BLESS AMERICA AND PRESIDENT BUSH!!!!

[Audit_Jesse]

Heh, we posted this at the same minute! Admins, please remove my thread to prevent double post.

[Mo1]

Something sure is up .. didn't this ship just return ??

[ContentiousObjector]

lets see here, there have been carrier battle groups in the gulf for the last 17? years,

Why the hell is this breaking news?

[Miss Marple]

Yes. Just returned right before Christmas.

[Dog]

Yes Mo.....came back right before Christmas...

[mhking]

Tick....tick.....tick......tick.....

The ticking is getting louder...

[Dog]

Twilight Zone stuff Miss M....we post the same words....:-)

[Miss Marple]

This is breaking news because the ship just returned from a 6-month deployment right before Christmas. This is a very unusual turnaround time.

[RobFromGa]

Colin, What Time Is It? It's Time To Bomb Saddam

[Miss Marple]

It is VERY hard to get closets cleaned and laundry done with all this stuff going on!

[Dog]

Because this carrier just returned about 5 days ago....

This is unheard of to turn a carrier around this soon...

Is that breaking enough for you???

[Mo1]

Why the hell is this breaking news?

Ummmm maybe because we are on the verge of war .. maybe because this ship had just returned from sea and normally doesn't ship back out to see within a week of it's return

I could be wrong .. it's just a guess on my part

[CougarGA7]

That's a pretty quick turn-around for a capital ship and I assume battle group. Looks like we are getting ready to rock-and-roll.

[Dog]

Battle group and a MAU goes with it...

[Mo1]

doesn't ship back out to see within a week of it's return

sorry typo .. see should be sea

[CougarGA7]

That's what I figured. I couldn't see the ship putting out without it's protection and support ships. I'm not ex-Navy so I'm not perticularly educated on their procedures.

[HiJinx]

From previous post (oops, forgot to copy the link...)
So, on December 8th, this was just routine. And on December 27th, well, not so routine, eh?

U.S. Says Homebound Carrier Is a Routine Rotation
(USS George Washington due back in US by Dec. 20)

Reuters / ABC

Posted on 12/08/2002 10:44 AM MST by RCW2001

Dec. 8

— By Douglas Hamilton DOHA (Reuters) - U.S. military officials refused on Sunday to be drawn on deployments in and out of the potential Iraq war zone, insisting they were routine.

One aircraft carrier battle group that military analysts calculated would stay on for overtime in the region if war were imminent, the USS George Washington, is winding up its tour on schedule and is due back in the United States by Dec. 20.

"It is on schedule to return to its home port of Norfolk, Virginia in mid-December," Commander Bob Ross told Reuters from 6th Fleet headquarters in Naples, Italy.

"Its state of readiness is at a peak. This is normal," he added, but declined comment on a report that crews were being "kept together for 30 days" on standby in case of action.

[Dog]

Now we know why that African trip was cancelled by the President...

[CougarGA7]

Just to show how uneducated I am...MAU, is that Marine Assault Unit?