Navy picking up Marines bound for Persian Gulf

7,000 from 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade shipping out

From Mike Mount

CNN
Friday, January 10, 2003 Posted: 9:45 PM EST (0245 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Three U.S. Navy ships began to deploy Friday from their home port in
Norfolk, Virginia, to pick up several thousand Marines in North Carolina en route to the
Persian Gulf, Navy officials said.

The ships received orders Friday morning to pick up 7,000 Marines, according to Pentagon officials.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signed deployment orders later Friday that included the 2nd Marine
Expeditionary Brigade from Camp Lejeune. Their orders to embark, or get aboard the ships, had been given earlier.

The three ships are:

• The USS Saipan, an amphibious assault ship.

• The USS Ponce, an amphibious transport dock ship.

• The USS Gunston Hall, a dock landing ship.

Together, the group comprises what the military calls an amphibious ready group, or ARG.

Such groups deploy overseas with helicopters, Marines and a large weapons supply.

The ARG was originally to have deployed