Cruise time for gulf GIs - It's `Love Boat R & R'

WASHINGTON The Pentagon, in search of rest and recreationdestinations for U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, has chartered a luxurycruise ship for $31 million to provide brief Persian Gulf getawaysfor desert-weary soldiers, Pentagon officials said Thursday.

The military also is searching for a second cruise ship after asmaller vessel it planned to lease for $23 million failed its safetyinspection, officials said.

The Cunard Princess - complete with swimming pool, movietheater, whirlpools and beer - is expected to arrive in the PersianGulf and start receiving its military guests before Christmas. About800 servicemen and women at a time will be rotated aboard the shipfor three or four days of beer, fun and air conditioning, authoritiessaid.

Military officials would give only sketchy details of theirplans for the ship, but said the vessel will be limited to U.S.troops and will not be open to visits from family members.

Some Pentagon officials have sharply criticized the Army cruiseship idea on the ground that the soldier-packed vessel could become aprime terrorist target. One senior military official described theship as a potential "Beirut barracks," a reference to the 1983terrorist bombing of the Marine headquarters in Lebanon that killed241 people.

The Navy will provide sea and air protection for the vessels,officials said.

When asked about the military contract, a spokesman for CunardLines, which also operates the Queen Elizabeth II, said, "We'vecanceled all bookings on the Cunard Princess for the next six months.That's all I can say."

Army officials decided on the charter approach to R&R to helpalleviate the shortage of facilities in Saudi Arabia and tocircumvent some of the Islamic restrictions on alcohol andentertainment. The military also is providing limited recreationalcenters in Saudi Arabia.

Even so, only a small percentage of the 430,000 U.S. troopsscheduled eventually to be posted in the region will ever have accessto the R&R services, some officials noted.

The "Berlitz Complete Handbook to Cruising" describes cabinsaboard the Cunard Princess as "small and compact, with tinny metalfixtures, very thin walls and little closet space." The guidebookadds, however, "This ship provides a very comfortable first-cruiseexperience at an excellent price, to well-chosen destinations."

The Princess' usual destinations are Bermuda and the MexicanRiviera, according to the publication.

Senior Army officials first floated the cruise ship idea almosttwo months ago during trips to Saudi Arabia. Shortly after publicmention of the plan by one Army leader, U.S. troops at one Saudi airbase posted a sign-up sheet for the "Love Boat R and R Cruise."