USS Carl Vinson arrives in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (WAVY) - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says he expects 9,000 to 10,000 troops will be in Haiti and off its shore by Monday to help distribute aid and prevent potential rioting.

Adm. Mike Mullen also said Friday the total American presence could rise as U.S. military officers determine how much assistance may be needed.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the primary goal is to distribute aid as quickly as possible "so that people don't, in their desperation, turn to violence." The secretary said military planners have been reluctant to drop food and water packages from the air because it could lead to lead to rioting. But bringing in supplies by sea and air have proved difficult because of Haiti's badly damaged sea port and congested airport.

The U.S. military presence increased substantially Friday when the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived off the coast of Port-Au-Prince.

"Our initial focus is to concentrate on saving lives while providing first-responder support to the people of Haiti," said Navy Rear Adm. Ted N. Branch, commander of the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group and of the sea-based portion of the Navy's humanitarian-support mission in the earthquake-stricken nation. "Our assistance here reflects our nation's compassion and commitment to those impacted by this tragedy."

The Nimitz-class carrier arrived with a robust airlift capability, picking up extra helicopters while in transit that will prove essential during the mission. 

"When tasked to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in Haiti, we immediately headed to Mayport, Fla., at more than 30 knots and loaded 19 helicopters, personnel and support equipment from five different East Coast Navy squadrons in less than eight hours," said Navy Capt. Bruce H. Lindsey, Carl Vinson commanding officer. "There is no other platform that can do all of that so quickly."

The helicopters started flights off ithe Carl Vinson's deck Friday morning, officials said. 

The carrier also has water-purifying equipment and three surgical operating rooms and can do medical evacuations as well as ferry supplies and people to and from land.

The Carl Vinson, with a crew of about 3,200, recently completed an extensive overhaul at Northrop Grumman's shipyard in Newport News, Va. It departed Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Va., Tuesday on transit to its new homeport in San Diego.   On Wednesday, military officials diverted the ship to Haiti.

Other Navy ships already heading to assist the humanitarian and disaster relief efforts in Haiti include the The Norfolk, Va.-based Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Va.-based amphibious dock landing ships USS Fort McHenry and USS Carter Hall, the Norfolk-based guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy, the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-based amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall, the Mayport, Fla.-based guided-missile frigate USS Underwood.  The Baltimore-based hospital ship USNS Comfort, with personnel from Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Va., will leave Saturday.

Military elements already on the ground in Haiti include two C-2 Greyhounds from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40 from Naval Air Station Norfolk, the San Diego-based USS Higgins, about 155 members of the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade from from Fort Bragg, N.C., and MC-130H Combat Talons and a C-130E Hercules from the Air Force's 1st Special Operations Wing out of Hurlburt Field, Fla.

Fort Bragg is sending another 800 troops Friday and will have a full brigade of some 3,500 on the ground by the end of the weekend.

Also leaving Friday are Navy Seabee divers from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek/Fort Story-based Underwater Construction Team 1. Their mission will be to inspect waterfront facilities such as piers and docks as part of efforts to help get relief supplies into the earthquake-ravaged nation.

They will deploy along with other Navy divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 and Naval Sea Systems Command, and engineers from Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

The Seabee divers join a group of about 85 Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7 deploying from Gulfport, Miss. They will help remove debris, clear roads, and provide construction support.

(Compiled from reportsby Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Thompson for American Forces Press Service and The Associated Press.)