1.   As scheduled, the carrier Independence left the gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, along with two other warships, a submarine and two support ships.

2.   A third aircraft carrier, the Nimitz, left the gulf on Sunday.

3.   After leaving the gulf next Wednesday, Cohen will go to Russia on a previously scheduled visit that is likely to be overshadowed by the confrontation with Iraq.

4.   But just hours after leaving the gulf to return to the United States, the crew learned of the attacks on New York and Washington.

5.   The George Washington was reassigned in November from duty in the Mediterranean Sea and is due to leave the gulf by April.