Circle, life aboard the US naval aircraft carrier, Dwight D. Eisenhower , has been one of testing extremes.

Yesterday the huge carrier sailed into Bermudian waters, its six-month training run over.

For the 5,300-strong crew it signalled the end to an adventure which stretched them to the limits.

And there was definitely an "end of term'' feeling yesterday as many seamen were reunited with relatives thanks to the US Navy.

The relatives boarded the carrier off St. George's. The ship will reach its home base in Norfolk, Virginia, tomorrow.

Although the returning men may not have sensed the whizz of Gulf War bullets, the experience will have left its mark.

"Some are disappointed they won't be coming back war heroes,'' admitted weapons officer John Christman.

"They can't tell their folks back home they have been shot at -- even though it's hardly a welcome experience.

"But the morale on board is good. We are a very closely-knit crew.'' The 95,000-ton Eisenhower , which spans some four-and-a-half acres and carries 80 planes, has covered an incredible 46,000 miles over the last six months, travelling up to 30 knots.

Its escorts have included The Mount Baker , an ammunition ship; The Elrod , a frigate; The Mahan , a destroyer; and The Bainbridge , a nuclear-powered cruiser.

The exercise, entitled "Teamwork,'' pitted its crew and hardware against the toughest conditions.

Said Command Master Chief Charles Baldwin: "Pilots have been flying in the desert -- and two weeks later in ice and snow.

"The deployment's purpose was to show how flexible we are. I believe we succeeded.

"There were no problems, no incidents, and we coped very well in both conditions.'' He added the carrier achieved a total of 9,000 "traps'' -- the number of airplanes it received on board.

The planes include F-14 Tomcats, F-18 Hornets, A-6 Intruders, and E-2 Hawkeyes.

Officer Christman said one of the most memorable experiences was speaking to Kuwaiti nationals who came on board during the stay in the Gulf.

"One of them told me how a year ago, before the war, he did not understand the Western mind.

"But now, because of the international effort to help his country, the gap has been bridged. It's a pity it took a war to do that, but I was very moved.'' Although the carrier boasts impressive facilities -- a medical centre, three gyms, a library, a post office, laundry, ice-cream parlour, and a barber shop -- the pressure of being cooped up can be a strain.

CMC Baldwin, a father-of-two, said he had set the crew three personal challenges to get them through the six months.

"I told them to work on themselves physically to increase fitness, work on professional courses, such as in navigation and weapon handling, and also improve their civilian education.

"We had two college professors on board to help them through exams.'' He added: "Whatever happens, I told them they should aim to return better men. I believe most of them do.'' HOMEWARD BOUND -- The Dwight D. Eisenhower , commissioned in 1977, set off yesterday for Virginia after its six-month exercise. Picture: US Navy photograph by JO1 S.A. Powell, USN.