NAVY LEAGUE WELCOMES USS SACRAMENTO (AOE 1)

TO SANTA BARBARA

FOR RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2004

Santa Barbara , Calif. , Jan. 15 – The Santa Barbara Navy League welcomes the captain and crew of USS SACRAMENTO (AOE 1) as the ship makes a liberty visit to our city beginning Friday, January 16 through Monday, January 19, 2004 . The ship is expected to arrive at 10:00 a.m. on Friday.

 “It is truly an honor to welcome to our community the young men and women serving our nation at sea. Liberty visits give us a chance to personally thank these sailors for their dedication to protecting our freedoms,” stated Connie O'Shaughnessy- Los, President of the Santa Barbara Navy League . “During their visit, we encourage local businesses to offer discounts to the sailors and ask that community members open their hearts and homes to these fine Americans,” she added.

Santa Barbara Navy League members will be hosting numerous activities for the sailors including a softball game against the Santa Barbara Over 50 Club on Saturday beginning at 9:00 a.m. , at Pershing Park located at 100 Castillo Street . The softball game is open to the public.

General public tours of the ship will not be available, but members of the community are invited to “adopt” a sailor by hosting him or her in their home, or by taking a sailor to lunch or dinner. Anyone interested in adopting a sailor should call Navy League member Karen MacDonald at (805) 687-3041. “We also encourage community members to pick up the tab if you see a sailor out or just stop and offer words of thanks,” said O'Shaughnessy-Los.

USS SACRAMENTO, nicknamed "The Golden Bear," is a Fast Combat Support Ship. The fast combat support ship (AOE) is the Navy's largest combat logistics ship. The AOE has the speed and armament to keep up with the Carrier Strike Groups. It rapidly replenishes Navy task forces and can carry more than 177,000 barrels of oil; 2,150 tons of ammunition; 500 tons of dry stores; and 250 tons of refrigerated stores. It receives petroleum products, ammunition and stores from shuttle ships and redistributes these items simultaneously to Carrier Strike Group ships. USS SACRAMENTO is 793 feet in length and has a crew of 600. The ship's homeport is Bremerton , Wash.

In January 2003, USS SACRAMENTO departed on an extended eight month deployment to the Pacific Northwest fully loaded in support of CARL VINSON STRIKE GROUP (CVINSG) operations. After completing operations in the vicinity of Hawaii , the ship transited to the Western Pacific where the Carl Vinson Strike Group provided a watchful presence near the Korean Peninsula while the bulk of U.S. Forces were engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom. USS SACRAMENTO participated in a number of key exercises that tested new concepts of Naval power projection including support of a combined Carrier Strike Group and Expeditionary Strike Group during the joint exercise TANDEM THRUST 03 . The presence, deterrence and ground breaking exercises would not have been possible without USS SACRAMENTO's execution of over 150 connected replenishments, 92 vertical replenishments, and 17 major in port loading evolutions. The “Golden Bear” made port visits to Busan , Korea ; Sasebo , Japan , Guam , Fremantle , Australia ; Singapore and Hong Kong.

The Navy League of the United States is a non-profit organization that has provided moral support, recognition and family support to the personnel in the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and the U.S. Flag Merchant Marine for over 100 years. It is a morale-enhancing, prideful organization comprised of 75,000 civilians in 330 councils worldwide who volunteer their time to give members of the sea services the support and recognition they deserve. The Santa Barbara Council sponsors local ship visits and provides activities for visiting crews while in port. The organization has over 800 members locally and has adopted the local U.S. Coast Guard Cutter BLACKFIN and Marine Safety Detachment, as well as America 's newest aircraft carrier USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76). Visit our website at www.santabarbaranavyleague.org to learn more.

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For more information contact:

Faye Eson   

Public Affairs/Media Relations         

Santa Barbara Navy League

(805) 895-8477     

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