DATE: Sunday, November 23, 1997             TAG: 9711230035

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: ABOARD THE USS GEORGE WASHINGTON  LENGTH:   62 lines

THE GEORGE WASHINGTON: ON BOARD AND ONLINE G.W. POISED TO PROTECT AFTER ARRIVAL IN GULF

A steam catapult hurled jet fighters into the night sky Saturday less than an hour's flight from Iraq, part of Navy battle preparations despite an apparent end to the crisis with Baghdad.

The George Washington arrived in the Persian Gulf before dawn Friday as the U.S. military continued its buildup in the region. Pilots from the Norfolk-based carrier, which brought 50 strike aircraft, quickly began practice missions to familiarize themselves with the terrain.

Sailors said they were relieved the showdown appeared to be over.

``I'm happy it's a peaceful solution,'' said Dennis Jones, a maintenance officer from Jacksonville, Fla. ``I'm ready to fight . . . but I'm really here for the sunsets.''

He spoke from the deck as the sun began to set Saturday over the gulf. Below him, rows of cluster bombs, air-to-air missiles and anti-radar missiles were lined up on yellow trolleys, ready to be loaded onto aircraft.

Victor Jones, a veteran of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, said he worried about the 28 service members under his command during the latest crisis.

``War should always be a last resort,'' said Jones, head of maintenance for the VFA-86 Sidewinders, a squadron of F/A-18s. The squadron's insignia - a coiled snake ready to strike - is painted on the tails of the gray aircraft.

``I'm glad we came to a peaceful resolution and it didn't come to dropping bombs,'' said Jones, of Sanford, N.C.

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein agreed to let U.N. arms inspectors back into his country on Friday. He had expelled the American inspectors Nov. 13 after accusing them of spying and had threatened to shoot down a U.S. surveillance plane used by the United Nations to monitor weapons sites.

The aircraft carrier rushed to the region from the Mediterranean as the crisis escalated. Most of the crew found out where they were going from television news reports.

The George Washington's sister ship in the gulf, the carrier Nimitz, is closer to Iraq, although the Navy would not release the exact location of either ship.

The Nimitz will be home-ported in Norfolk after its return from sea duty in March.

Sailors aboard the G.W. have no idea how long they will be in the gulf, but the tour is likely to last at least several weeks.

They appeared confident that Iraq could not attack the ship and their lives were not in danger.

``I don't believe they'd ever reach us,'' said Chief Petty Officer Kathryn Oran, from Fort Myers, Fla. ``They would win the lottery before that.''

Chief Petty Officer Brad Place of Virginia Beach has one worry - the possibility of missing Christmas with his wife, Tammy, and his children Mandy, 6, and Kelsey 3.

``That's by far the biggest concern,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

ASSOCIATED PRESS

An F/A-18 Hornet lands on the flight deck of the carrier George

Washington Friday. The carrier joined the carrier Nimitz in the

Persian Gulf before dawn that day and flight crews began practicing

and familiarizing themselves with the area. KEYWORDS: PERSIAN GULF IRAQ U.S. NAVY

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