countries, it was announced yesterday.

John S. Darrell spokeswoman Marie MacPherson said the first to arrive was the Bahranian Amiri Naval Force's fast attack craft, the Sabah , yesterday morning.

She said the 147-foot ship -- which is berthed in Dockyard -- was here to refuel and allow her crew of volunteers to enjoy some rest and relaxation before leaving on Saturday.

Arriving that same day, and berthing in Hamilton, will be the Royal Naval vessels HMS Boxer and HMS Liverpool . They will be here to refuel and give their crews some shore leave before leaving on Monday.

The Boxer is a 430-foot-long Broadsword class frigate which is designed for anti-submarine warfare while the HMS Liverpool is a 392-foot-long Type 42 destroyer designed to provide air defence.

On Monday, continued Ms MacPherson, a fleet of eight US naval vessels led by the massive Nimitz class aircraft carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt are expected to sail into the Island's easterly waters.

They are due to drop off 830 tiger cruisers and pick up 830 more, who were scheduled to fly into the Island on chartered aircraft earlier in the day.

The vessels will wait at different anchorages off the east end while passengers are transferred to and from shore, she added.

Tiger cruises are morale building exercises where sailors are joined by their family and friends during ocean crossings.

Joining the Theodore Roosevelt -- which is over 1,000 feet long and capable of carrying over 80 aircraft and six helicopters -- are two cruisers, a support ship, two frigates and a pair of destroyers.

The USS Vella Gulf and USS Leyte Gulf are 566-foot-long Ticonderoga class guided missile cruisers equipped particularly for tracking aircraft.

Meanwhile the USS Detroit is a Sacramento class fast combat support ship, with a length of almost 800 feet, that is designed to rapidly refuel vessels and replenish their stocks while at sea.

The two Oliver Hazard Perry class guided missile frigates in the fleet are the USS Carr and the USS Hawes .

Both are approximately 450-feet-long and emphasise anti-ship and aircraft capabilities. They are joined by the Spruance class destroyers USS Hayler and USS Ramage which are some 560-feet-long and designed for anti-submarine warfare.

Mrs. MacPherson was unavailable to provide information on which ports the naval vessels were out of or where they were heading when they took on their passengers.