10 Dec             II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), 24,000 Marines, deploys from Camp
                         ILejeune, NC.

11 Dec             DOD announces new U.S. trobp strength at over 260,000 in region; updates
                         numbers of intercepts -4833; boardings -583; diversions - 22;
                         121,940 Reserves/National Guard recalled: 6877 Navy, 16,495 USMC.
                         Coalition forces strength in excess of 220,000.

13 Dec             USS SAMPSON (DDG-10) diverts a freighter in N. Red Sea.
                   SECNAV activates 2,388 Naval Reserve personnel to staff Navy Fleet Hospi-
                         tals 20 and 22.

14 Dec             Navy implements DOD-authorized limited stop loss action to retain personnel
                         with skills which are critical and in short supply due to extended medical
                         requirements of Operation Desert Shield. The Navy's second use of this
                         authority affects all Navy doctors, nurses, hospital corpsmen and me di-
                         cal service corps personnel whose dates of retirement or separation fall
                         on or after 2 January 1991.
                   SECNAV activates 769 additional Naval Reservists from 44 units.

15 Dec             USS MISSISSIPPI (CGN-40) diverts a freighter in the N. Red Sea.

16 Dec             USS MISSISSIPPI diverts a freighter in the N. Red Sea.

18 Dec             DOD announces new U.S. troop strength at over 270,000 in region; updates
                         numbers of intercepts - 5393; boardings - 668; diversions - 26;
                         124,943 Reserves/National Gu&d recalled: 7249 Navy, 17,066 USMC.
                   USS MONTGOMERY diverts a freighter in the N. Red Sea.
                   Sealift update: 253 ships in support, 200 under MSC operational control;
                         188 offloads c6mpleted (approximately 10.2 billion pounds of unit
                        - equipment and petroleum products).

20 Dec             DOD announces new U.S. troop strength at about 280,000 in region; updates
                         numbers of intercepts -5509; boardings - 679; diversions - 27;
                         127,293 Reserves/National Guard recalled: 7314 Navy, 17,375 US MC.
                   USS INDEPENDENCE (CV-62) returns to San Diego homeport from Persian
                         Gulf deployment.
                   Members of Reserve Squadrons HCS-4 and HCS-5, the Navy's only combat
                         Search and Rescue squadrons, are deployed in the Middle East.
                   SECNAV activates 289 additional Naval Reservists from 28 units.

21 Dec             An Israeli-chartered liberty ferry shuttling crewmembers of the USS SARA-
                         TOGA (CV-60) capsized and sank off Haifa, Israel, resulting in 20
                         deaths. Additional crewmember is missing/presumed drowned.

23 Dec             A truck on a liberty excursion in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, carrying
                         crewmembers of the USS MIDWAY (CV-41) overturned, killing 2 sail-
                         ors, injuring 5 others.

                                         A-lO

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