"NARI"... ...I wonder who we were really preparing for?
Posted on 10/28/2013 4:36:01 PM PDT by 11th_VA
Just a 'shout out' to all the veterans who were involved in this 'evolution', as a result of the Iranian Hostage Situation in 1979.
From Wiki:
Gonzo Station was a U.S. Navy acronym for "Gulf of Oman Naval Zone of Operations," used to designate an area of carrier-based operations in the Indian Ocean during the Iranian Hostage Crisis and the so-called Tanker War between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Carriers on Gonzo Station normally rotated on three-month cruises before being relieved by another task force.
(Excerpt) Read more at midwayjoesnavy.myqth.com ...
I was on aging DDG, and a proid member of what we called The Persian Gulf Yacht Club in 1988-89.
NARI
North American Republican Intercession.
A hand salute from a member of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club,
Member 1968-69
VAW-116 aboard USS Coral Sea (CVA-43)
I was on the Okinawa on GONZO station from March to April 28th or so, 1980 :)
And here I was thinking it might have been a Hunter S. Thompson column.
you sure that ws the Kitty Hawk?
That ship left MODLOC about the time we hit the IO in 1980
I remember the Nimitz, the Coral Sea, and forgot the other one out there still then, but there was a 3rd, but the Kitty Hawk was gone by the time we hit the IO in March 1980
Navy sure got their money’s worth out of the Midway and Coral Sea, both were built just at the end of WW2.
My ship USS Chicago, had already deactivated most of our weapon systems - we were being decommissioned; And one other ship that had a broken screw (don't recall the name), got sent back to CA.
The rest of the Group got sent to Gonzo Station.
I think that's why we spent all night loading the Kitty, I think it's magazines were empty, we were all headed back stateside.
I have to add, I got out when we hit San Diego, so I didn’t keep up with where the Kitty went. We all assumed it was GONZO station.
So when did you leave the states? Were you extended?
USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) got decommissioned in 1990 and the Midway (CVA-41) two years later in 1992.
Served on one and saw the other making big circles in the Tonkin Gulf on “Yankee Station”. No A/C except in the Ready Rooms back then.
I left Pearl Harbor Jan 24, the PI about Feb 24 or so, we hit Guam first, then when in the PI Carter announced his Carter Doctrine, we armored up, did a quick op in the Zambales, then did 5 more days at Subic pickign up nukes and troops, full naval surgical battalions, the works, we hit Singapore then pattaya Beach then the IO
We left the coast of Iran right after ther rescue attempt, hit Mombassa about May 1-may 4, then to Perth Australia
Back to Pearl june 24, 1980
oh, they were there, I remember when they left, the Soviets asked where the Kitty Hawk was, USN replied NORTH CAROLINA!
used to deliver U.S. Mail onboard the Coral Sea, Constitution and Kitty Hawk scores of times between 1969 and 1971 in Sasebo, Japan.
Fun times.
I delievered beer to the Nimitz and mail to the coral sea in one day in 1980 :)
Some of that you ‘can neither confirm nor deny,’ but you have a great memory for dates. I’m assuming the Kitty was on station til they got relief, not sure when that would have been - I know a lot of sailors were pissed they had to extend deployment.
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