UNITED STATES NAVY IN DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM

units wereevacuating civilians from two other Navy support for the operation, the
hotspots on opposite coasts of Mrica. longest-running non-combatant evacuation
operation in recent naval history, ended 9 Janu-
On 5 August, Marines from a U.S. Task ary, when the amphibious transport dock USS
Force off the coast of Liberia began an evacua- NASHVILLE (LPD 13), Helicopter Combat
tion operation which eventually rescued 2,690 Support Squadron FOUR (HCS 4) and ele-
people, including 330 U.S. citizens, from the ments of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
war-torn capital city of Monrovia. Operation departed the Liberian coastal area known dur-
SHARP EDGE began with a pre-dawn meet- ing the operation as "Mamba Station."
ing in the wardroom of USS SAIPAN (LHA 2)
to finalize a plan that had been in the works for Just a few days before SHARP EDGE
nearly two months. During that time, SAIPAN ended, another civil war threatened American
and her Amphibious Ready Group, consisting lives. USS GUAM (LPH 9) and USS TREN-
of USS PONCE (LPD 15), USS SUMTER (LST TON (LPD 14) with Marines from the 4th
1181), Fleet Surgical Team TWO and the de- Marine Expeditionary Brigade embarked,
stroyer USS PETERSON (DD 969), waited off raced from their DESERT SHIELD stations in
the coast for orders to begin evacuation. the North Arabian Sea to rescue Americans
and foreign nationals threatened by war in
Since December 1989, civil war had Somalia.
raged between rival Liberian factions, and the
safety of American citizens could no longer be The rescue, Operation EASTERN EXIT,
guaranteed. Tension grew as rebel leader was implemented within hours of an urgent
Prince Johnson said he would begin rounding plea from the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu, the
up foreign~.~s to force foreign intervention in capital of Somalia. Indeed, from the time the
his fight against Liberian President Samuel U.S. Ambassador in Somalia sent his first mes-
Doe. Johnson threatened to attack U.S. Ma- sage, "I really view this with concern, we've
rines at the embassy if the United States did not got to get out of here...," to the time the execute
intervene on the rebel side. order was given, less than 48 hours had elapsed.

As dawn broke, more than 200 Marines Marine Corps helicopters took off while
from HOTEL Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th the ships were still 460 miles from the Somali
Marines climbed into CH-46 Sea Knight and coast. Theytwice refueled in-flight courtesy of
CH-53 Sea ~3tallion helicopters for the 20-mile Marine Corps KC-130 tankers which took off
ride to the U.S. embassy compound in from Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. The helicop-
Monrovia and commenced the non-combat- ters reached the Embassy, dropped off the
ant evacuation operation. They evacuated not Marines and brought back 62 evacuees. The
only Americans, but also Liberian, Italian, first wave of Marines ashore set up defensive
Canadian and French nationals during an op- positions around the Embassy, while other
eration which lasted until 30November, when waves conducted the evacuations. in all, 260
opposing k~rces agreed to a cease-fire. Sailors citizens from 30 nations, including 51 Ameri- L-
and Marines from the task force also provided cans, and the diplomatic contingent from the
humanitarian assistance, airlifting food, wa- Soviet Union, were shuttled aboard the two
ter, fuel and medical supplies to the ravaged waiting ships. A group of U.S. officials and the
city. Kenyan ambassador were trapped by gunfire

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