Gonzo Station could stand for a U.S. Navy acronym for "Gulf of Oman Naval Zone of Operations",used to designate an area of carrier-based

Aircraft carrier

An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...

 operations in the Indian Ocean during the Iranian Hostage Crisis and the so-called Tanker War between the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and the Islamic Republic of Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

; but, in fact it is nothing more than the name of one a famous Muppets' characters that was popular at the time. Military operational areas are commonly named after pop-cultural icons. Viet Nam was laced with such labels. For example,Arizona Territory, in central Viet Nam, was so named for its famous gunfights (firefights).

Carriers on Gonzo Station normally rotated on three-month cruises before being relieved by another task force. Following Operation Desert Storm

Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

, the area of the North Arabian Sea grew less in strategic importance as Gonzo Station was too far away to respond to operational needs in Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

 and the Northern Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

. As a result, the area of the north Arabian Sea is considered today a "transit area".

Several U.S. Navy carriers served on Gonzo Station, including the , , , , , , and . While replenishment ships normally rotated on and off line in order to resupply, served in formation 180 days.The in 1980 served 315 days sea time with an 154 line period (July-Dec) This was the largest American Fleet dispatched to the Indian Ocean since WW2