Stardate 20011217.1019 (On Screen): USS Kittyhawk was the only carrier in this operation whose job was shrouded in mystery. It was announced that most of its air wing was unloaded and that it was reloaded primarily with helicopters, but it was never really announced why they were there or what they were intended for. I assumed that it was to provide more aircraft for the Marines to compensate for the fact that they would eventually be operating much further from their own LHD's than they ordinarily would, and also for the fact that they would be operating in places where amphibious landings were not possible. So, of course, there was the impression that
Kittyhawk was sitting out there doing little while
Vinson and
Roosevelt were doing the real work.
That turns out to be wrong, and now Kittyhawk's real mission has been revealed. It was supporting the Special Forces. They were based on it; those helicopters were theirs. I feel as if I should have guessed that. The actual base from which the Special Forces were operating was always rather hazy; there was this idea that it was from some nebulous base in Pakistan somewhere. Indeed there probably were such bases, but home base was on a ship. That just makes immense sense; I wonder why no-one I've read had guessed it? (discuss)
