Operation Shining Express
Encyclopedia
Operation Shining Express was the July, 2003 deployment of a U.S. Naval task force based around the amphibious ship USS Kearsarge
to rescue embassy personnel and American citizens from Liberia's
civil war
. The deployment was announced on 13 June 2003.
It followed the successful 1990 rescue effort in Liberia, Operation Sharp Edge
.
USS Kearsarge (LHD-3)
USS Kearsarge is the third of the United States Navy. She is the fifth ship to be named in honor of the USS Kearsarge, a sloop-of-war that gained fame during the American Civil War, which was in turn named for Mount Kearsarge in New Hampshire.-Construction:Kearsarges keel was laid down on 6...
to rescue embassy personnel and American citizens from Liberia's
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
civil war
Second Liberian Civil War
The Second Liberian Civil War began in 1999 when a rebel group backed by the government of neighbouring Guinea, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy , emerged in northern Liberia. In early 2003, a second rebel group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia, emerged in the south, and...
. The deployment was announced on 13 June 2003.
It followed the successful 1990 rescue effort in Liberia, Operation Sharp Edge
Operation Sharp Edge
Operation Sharp Edge was a non-combatant evacuation operation carried out by the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit of the United States Marine Corps in Liberia in 1990 and 1991.-Background:The First Liberian Civil War broke out in December 1989...
.