Albany (CA 123) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 106 text:

COMMANDING OFFICERS CAPTAIN W. B. SIEGLAFF Captain William Sieglaff came aboard in the Boston Yard Period, relieving Commander Merritt as Commanding Officer, and left us in Suda Bay, Crete one year later. The ship ' s high morale was due, no doubt, to his twenty-two years experience in submarines where he worked closely with his men and where he gained the ability to build incentive among them. After graduation from the Naval Aca- demy in 1931, Captain Sieglaff spent two years on the battleship OKLAHOMA. He also received a Master ' s Degree from MIT in Naval Engineering. On submarines during WW II, Captain Sieglaff served with the USS POMPANO and TAU- TOG becoming Commanding Officer of the latter and also CO of the USS TENCH. As duty officer on the TAUTOG on 7 December 1941 in Pearl Harbor, his submarine was credited with shooting down a Japanese plane. His record in the Pacific gained for him two Navy Crosses, three Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit. After the war, from 1947 to 1949, he served as Submarine Detail Officer at the Bureau of Naval Personnel and during the next four years at New London, Connecticut, he was successively, Commander Submarine Division EIGHTY-ONE, Commander Submarine Development Group TWO, Officer-in-Charge of the Submarine School and Commander Submarine Base. In October 1955, he made the big switch to the Surface Navy as Commanding Officer of the ALLAGASH, an oiler. October 1956 saw Captain Sieglaff assume command of the ALBANY where his extensive experience carried us through the Yard Period, Re- fresher Training, a Midshipman Cruise, through NATO Operations and then into the Mediterranean. 102 k

Page 105 text:

EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMMANDER ROBERT G. MERRITT Our Executive Officer is Commander Robert G. Merritt. During the Yard Period he served as Commanding Officer while we were awaiting Captain Sieglaff ' s arrival. A past-master when it comes to heavies, and their internal organization and operating capabilities, as his extensive service in battle- ships indicates, Commander Merritt has given his all toward increasing the efficiency with which the Albany has operated. In carrying out his duties as Second-in-Command, Commander Merritt has a fund of knowledge on the requirements of his position gained through having been the Commanding Officer of the destroyer U.S.S. Holder in 1952 and 1953. An air of professorship seems to cling to him; per- haps his pedagogical manner is attributable to the three years which he spent at the U. S. Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California where he taught in the Command Communications Curriculum. His ability as an instructor has not spent itself: few officers and men have failed to learn from his just and firm handling of difficult situations. Commander Merritt has overseen the Albany ' s development from the Boston Yard Period to the present day, and has been a great influence in determining the success which the ship has had on all occasions. As we all know, the job of Executive Officer is a difficult one. To handle it diplomatically is harder yet. With a smile and calm assurance, Commander Merritt has done the most difficult with ease. 101

Page 107 text:

Our present Commanding Officer, Captain John S. McCain, Jr. came aboard in Suda Bay, Crete where he relieved Captain Sieglaff. From there, he carried on and added to the proud ALBANY tra- dition of being the top cruiser in the Mediterranean. Our operating schedule was rigorous and our tour of the Eastern Med kept much of the crew away from ports they had planned on seeing. Captain Mc- Cain somehow managed to keep pride and desire high on the part of ship ' s company while deployed in that area. Also a veteran of many years ' association with submarines, Captain McCain spent his first two years after graduation from the Naval Academy in 1 931 attached t o the USS Oklahoma after which he served on board three submarines and was Commanding Officer of three more up through 1945. Before his first command in the Surface Navy, the USS MONROVIA in July 1954, Captain McCain had various duties among which were, Commander Sub- marine Division SEVENTY-ONE, Head of Research and Development Branch of Un- dersea Warfare and Commander Subma- rine Squadron SIX. Captain McCain is one of the experts in the field of submarine habitability and has done a great amount of work on the subject. But we know him as an expert on cruiser habitability. He has made us so proud of our ship that living on her for ex- tended periods away from home has been no hardship. In fact, it has been a pleasure. CAPTAIN JOHN S. McCAIN, JR -yk