US Navy sailors from the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) conduct a FOD (Foreign Object Damage) walkdown on the flight deck during transit of the Suez canal. Following a Presidential order to head for the Persian Gulf region, elements of the GEORGE WASHINGTON battle group led by the carrier immediately left their regularly scheduled station in the Mediterranean and began the 7 day passage to the Gulf, which starts with a Suez Canal transit. GEORGE WASHINGTON will join the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS NIMITZ (CVN 68) battle group already on station. Both will enforce UN sanctions against Iraq by patrolling the No-Fly Zone. Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, 16...

The original finding aid described this photograph as:

[Complete] Scene Caption: US Navy sailors from the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) conduct a FOD (Foreign Object Damage) walkdown on the flight deck during transit of the Suez canal. Following a Presidential order to head for the Persian Gulf region, elements of the GEORGE WASHINGTON battle group led by the carrier immediately left their regularly scheduled station in the Mediterranean and began the 7 day passage to the Gulf, which starts with a Suez Canal transit. GEORGE WASHINGTON will join the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS NIMITZ (CVN 68) battle group already on station. Both will enforce UN sanctions against Iraq by patrolling the No-Fly Zone. Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, 16 November 1997.

Subject Operation/Series: SOUTHERN WATCH

Base: USS George Washington (CVN 73)

State: Suez Canal

Country: Egypt (EGY)

Scene Camera Operator: PH1 Christopher Bishop, USN

Release Status: Released to Public
Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files