The World - News from Jan. 15, 1989

The U.S. naval force in the Persian Gulf is being trimmed again, leaving the fleet with six surface fighting ships, the lowest number since the mid-1987 buildup that began as the Iraq-Iran War escalated. As the missile cruiser Josephus Daniels and three missile frigates left the waterway in recent days, three newly arriving vessels entered to begin their three-month duty tours. The Defense Department said that the Josephus Daniels was being withdrawn because it was “no longer required to meet the threat to our forces and shipping in the region.” The three-for-four swap effectively reduced the Gulf-based fleet from 15 to 14 ships and pared the number of surface combatants--cruisers, destroyers and frigates--from seven to six.