Steam surrounds flight deck crewmen as they direct a U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornet onto the catapult in preparation for launch from the USS George Washington (CVN 73) as the ship steams in the Persian Gulf on Feb. 6, 1998. The Washington battle group is operating in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch which is the U.S. and coalition enforcement of the no-fly-zone over Southern Iraq. The Hornet is attached to Fighter-Attack Squadron 251 from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C.