First San Diego-Based Ship Headed for Persian Gulf : Mideast: Repair vessel would not be in heavy combat. Move is seen as sign that U.S. is gearing up for ‘long haul.’

The destroyer tender Acadia will depart for the Persian Gulf--making it the first San Diego-based Navy vessel to sail from the West Coast to join the escalating crisis in the Middle East, Washington Navy officials said Friday.

No departure date was announced for the vessel, which could take a month to reach its destination. The move is a signal that the Navy is gearing up for a long stint at sea, some officials said.

“It certainly means we are in for the long haul if necessary, but remember a ship can always turn around and come back,” said retired Capt. James Bush, a 26-year Navy veteran who is the associate director for the Center for Defense Information in Washington. “But it’s a signal to Iraq that we are in for the long haul, though it’s not too costly for us.”

The ship, whose 1,200-member crew includes 308 women, will not be deployed to an area with heavy fighting should combat erupt, since it is a repair vessel with little ability to defend itself.

“We would want to be in a central area where ships could get to us and some protection is afforded,” said Capt. Larry King, the Acadia’s commanding officer, who emphasized that he was unable to discuss the possibility of the Acadia’s deployment.

The ship’s crew members repair vessels, including nuclear-powered ships, as they float by its side. The Acadia can also provide services to other ships’ crews, such as medical care, or supplies such as drinking water and food.

Navy officials say they have 140 female sailors serving aboard support vessels in the North Arabian Sea. Of those, 34 are aboard the San Francisco-based ammunition ship Flint. The Flint, however, was already in the region when the Middle East situation heated up and did not sail from the West Coast. Since law prohibits women from participating in combat, those deployed in the Persian Gulf area serve in support roles, such as welders and electricians.

Some of the women aboard the Acadia said they resented the attention they drew because they are female sailors.

“Women have been on ships like this for more than eight years--it’s annoying to see so much focus on women at sea rather than looking at the Navy itself,” said the ship’s navigator, a Paso Robles-native who declined to give her name. “I just don’t see what’s so important about having women on a ship or sending a ship with women to the Persian Gulf.”

She and other female sailors stressed that they and their male counterparts faced the same problems with a deployment. One master chief petty officer, who has served aboard the Acadia for three years, was quick to point out that the joys of life at sea more than compensated for the hazards of their work.

“I am more at home on a ship than ashore--I love being at sea. I love when you can’t see the shore, that’s when I am happiest,” she said, also requesting anonymity. “There’s such a peace, a calm . . . and if we are deployed, that is our job.”