Ashland (LSD 48) - Naval Cruise Book

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In the finest naval tiaditii)n, this scene was played out on ASHLAND as she crossed the equator for the first time on October 25th. The rest of the days saw ASHLAND crewmenibers who claimed to be Shellbacks frantically searching forproof of their crossing into the realm of Davy Jones, and the Wogs pondering their fate. Even in today ' s hi-tech Navy, time is set aside to partici- pate in this ancient seafaring tradition. The actual initiation ceremony had to be postponed until ASHLAND completes her tour on the line off Somalia. Shipboard routine, flight quarters, engineering drills, and other operations went on as usual aboard ASHLAND, as part of days to day operations aboard a ship designed to function as a floating base of operations during amphibious landings. Really, it ' s no different from our normal training. said SK3 Fred Winer. We do all of these operations continuously, wherever we are. But it ' s strange to be doing this when we can look off the flight deck and see Mogadishu in the distance. When we came here, we were told we needed our weapons. said ET2 David J. S. Jones, of Little Creek ' s own special Boat Unit 20. In their thirty-foot rib boats, the desert-camouflage-clad sailors of SBU 20 have sailed within 500 feet of the Somali coast during normal operations. We were told it was a hostile coast, but the army had all the areas we saw under control. It ' s been pretty quiet for us, which is good, because this isn ' t Hollywood. The bad guys don ' t always miss. We just stay ready. Sometimes it ' s nice to be bored. As ASHLAND ' S third week off Somalia came to a close, ASHLAND Sailors and Marines celebrated Hallow- een with a steel beach picnic, bingo, and ice cream sundaes on the mess decks. Thoughts of children in costumes trick or treating on chilly October nights were brought to mind in the heat of the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately, this Halloween wasn ' t lull of tricks or treats for the Sail- ors and Marines of ASHLAND, but realizing the importance of our mission makes our sacrifices and those of our fellow servicemen and women ashore worthwhiie. 07 November: Davy Jones and King Neptune mled aboard USS ASHLAND (LSD 48) on November Fifth, as the Shellbacks of ASHLAND initiated the Pollywogs among ASHLAND ' s crew and embarked Marines into their ancient order. The Slimly Wogs had to crawl from stem to stern of the 609-foot-long ship as the Trusty Shellbacks sprayed them with fire hoses, sent them crawling through water hazards, and challenged them with the other rituals of the shellback. Their trials done, the (exhausted, wet and de-slimed) former wogs were presented to King Neptune and his Royal Court, having proved by their endurance that they were fit to be inducted into the Royal order of the Shellback . It was all harmless fun, part of a naval tradition known as Crossing the Line , a ritual celebrated whenever a ship crosses the equator. Those aboard the ship who have crossed the equator are known as Trusty Shellbacks , and are true seafarers. Those who have not crossed the equator, regardless of rank or years of service, are Pollywogs or Slimy Wogs . The ritual began with a Wog Revolt where the Pollywogs played pranks and practical jokes on the Shellbacks , who quickly suppressed this mutiny despite being outnumbered nearly 10 to 1. The shellbacks chose a King Neptune , Davy Jones and a full royal court from their number, then made up elaborate costumes and difficult (but safe) tests for the initiation. In a ceremony that lasted for hours, the Pollywogs proved their worthiness to be shellbacks . They were quick studies in Wog swimming, and turned out to be very musical. said OS 1 Michael Foraker, a Crusty Shellback who went through his own initiation aboard USS Coral Sea (CV 43) in 1980. They learned new lyrics to old tunes, such as replacing Jingle Bells with Wog Wog Wog , while being spayed with water. Participation is voluntary for ail hands, and those who choose not to be a part conduct normal shipboard routine. Rank made no difference during the ceremony, with the senior Pollywog . ASHLAND Executive officer LCDR J. C. Legg, enduring the same trials as newly arrived seaman recruits. The event had a special meaning for LCDR Legg. My wife ' s father became a shellback during World War Two, recalls LCDR Legg. He was on board an amphibious assault ship als o. I never met him, but my wife has always had his Shellback certificate hanging from our w all. It made me feel closer to him. to go through the same ceremony. Two days earlier, in more con en- tional operations. ASHLAND turned routine maintenance into a training opportunity. ECU 1663 of ACU Two required underway maintenance and Beachmaster Unit Two LARC ' s needed to complete man overboard drills. Both events were incorporated into a welldeck launch from ASHLAND ' s 440 foot long well deck. Maiine Amphibious Armored Vehicles (AAV ' s) embarked on ASHLAND maneuvered in landing formations in sight of the Somali coast, where ASHLAND has spent the last month as part of a reserve of U.S. troops offshore.

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Somalia required ASHLAND ' s assistance. Within 72 hours, ASHLAND changed course, transitted the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits for the second time in a week, engaged in underway and vertical replenishment with USS BUTTE, enroute to transit the Suez Canal, joining U.S. Naval units off the coast of Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope. ASHLAND sails with USS GUADALCANAL (LPH 7) and USS SHREVEPORT (LPD 12), standing by to respond at a moments notice as a quick reaction force for operations ashore. 17 October: USS ASHLAND (LSD 48) began its first week of service in Operation Restore Hope with its initial transit of the Suez Canal. During the transit, ASHLAND Sailors and Marines participated in a Run for Fun , jogging on the flight deck for the entire transit. Ten teams ran 19,014 laps, the equivalent of 950 miles. ASHLAND then joined the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) battle group off the coast of Somalia. Both ASHLAND and LINCOLN are on their first Indian Ocean deployments. ASHLAND and it ' s four hundred marines are part of the reinforcements sent to Somalia by President Clinton to bolster the United Nations and U.S. Forces involved in Operation Restore Hope, standing by to respond to any situation that occurs in Somalia. While waiting the call to action, day to day life on ASHLAND continues. Weapons training was held lor the Marines and Sailors on board, while the Marines lue being briefed and immunized should they be called on to go ashore. On the lighter side, a party was held on ASHLAND ' s mess decks to celebrate the Navy ' s birthday on October 13th. ASHLAND Commanding Officer Captain D. W. Keith spoke to the crew on the Navy ' s continuing mission and the importance of our mission off Somalia, and cut the Navy ' s birthday cake with assistance from the youngest, PNSA Dale Forsythe, and the oldest, SH 1 Paul Munoz, sailors on board ASHLAND. On October 15th, a second party celebrated ASHLAND personnel who had children born recently, or whose birthday fell in October. The week closed with an ice cream sundae Sunday night as a break to a busy week of training and op- erations. On a more solemn note, a burial at sea was held on ASHLAND ' s stem gate on October 1 7. As hymns played and an honor guard fired salutes, the ashes of former Navy Gunners Mate Second Class Frank Shaputnik were scattered over the waves of the Indian Ocean by his son-in-law. Operations Specialist First Class Michael Mus.selman. GM2 Shaputnik served on a troop transport similar to ASHLAND during World War Two, participating in several pacific campaigns. 24 October: USS ASHLAND (LSD 48) began its second week of service in Operation Restore Hope as part of a show of force off Mogadishu, Somalia, including USS GUADALCANAL (LPH 7), USS SHREVEPORT (LPD 12), and Pacific Fleet USS NEW ORLEANS Amphibi- ous Ready Group and the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) carrier battle group. During it ' s first full week in the Indian Ocean, ASHLAND practiced launching and recovering the Marine and Navy landing craft and amphibious vehicles in its 440 foot long, 50 foot wide well deck, which can be flooded to a depth of ten feet to ser e as a harbor for landing craft. On a solemn note, embarked Marines of Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 1 8 held a memorial service for their fallen comrades marking the tenth anniversan,- of the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut on October 23, 1983. In formation on the flight deck of ASHLAND, Sailors and Marines were addressed by ASHLAND Commanding Officer Captain D. W. Keith and CO of Troops Captain A. K. Dixon, on the close ties between the Navy and the Marine Corps, and the continuing mission of both. During the ceremony, a Marine honor guard fired volleys while the landing craft normally embarked on ASHLAND steamed in formation, both as training and as a living symbol of the Navy Marine Corps team. The week ended with a Sunday afternoon Steel Beach Picnic on ASHLAND. In a break from the busy training schedule of the last few weeks. Sailors and embarked Marines ate chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers and steaks grilled by ASHLAND officers. Picnick- ing crewmembers also played basketball, while schools of dolphins kept pace with ASHLAND. 31 October: 1 he earh luoniine calm was siiatlcrcd wilii liie oice of Daw ones booming over the 1 MC, ihivatcnu : ihc uninitiated among the crew w ho iared eiiUux- inio ills domain.

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ASHLAND ' S mission accom- plished, the new and old Shellback Sail- ors and Marines of ASHLAND set their sights on Egypt as ASHLAND headed north. After a trans it of the Suez Canal, ASHLAND will be taking part in Operation Bright Star 94. training exer- cises with the Egyptian military. 14 November: USS ASHLAND (LSD 48) lowered its sterngate and launched it ' s Marines into the seas. First went the Amphibious Assault Vehicles, (AAV ' s), their diesels snorting as they drove off the sterngate and plunged into the waters of the Mediterranean, bobbing to the surface and plowing through the waves towards the distant shore. As more water poured into the well deck of ASHLAND, four-wheeled LARC ' s (Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo) carrying the desert-camouflage-clad sailors of Beachmaster Unit Two, plowed through the deepening waters on their balloon tires, plunging out the stem gate. Finally, the landing craft within ASHLAND began to float as the well deck became a harbor, complete with linehandlers casting off the mooring lines of the landing craft. ECU 1663. of Little Creek, Virginia ' s Assault Craft Unit Two, was the last amphibious craft into the water. Under the watchful eyes of safety boats launched from ASHLAND, the amphibious vehicles proceeded in formation to shore. The land of the Pharaohs and pyramids received new visitors this week, as the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22 MEU), embarked on the Atlantic Fleet ' s premier Gator, USS ASHLAND (LSD 48), departed ASHLAND ' s well deck and swam their landing craft and AAV ' s ashore to take part in Operation Bright Star 94, a joint exercise by U.S. and Egyptian sea, air, and land forces. ASHLAND is taking part in Bright Star 94 after four weeks of standing by off the coast of Somalia as part of the reserve in support of Operation Restore Hope. ASHLAND departed the Somali coast at the beginning of the week as part of the GUADALCANAL Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group. During it ' s transit north, ASHLAND engaged in fueling at sea with the USNS JOHN LENTHALL and made it ' s second tran- sit of the Suez Canal in one month. The Canal ' s a real experience, said LCPL Robert Dionne, a BET 1 8 Alfa Company Marine infantryman on his first deployment. On one side you could see houses and orchards and vegetation. On the other side, it would be desert. It made a big impression on me. During the transit. Sailors and embarked Marines took part in a run for fun , as representatives from each division on ASHLAND and the embarked Marine and Naval support element units ran laps around ASHLAND ' s tlight deck continuously. There was also a divisional and unit basketball competition held in ASHLAND ' s 440-foot long well deck. Just before the transit of the Canal. ASHLAND hosted a more formal ceremony, as the embarked Marines aboard ASHLAND celebrated the 2 1 8th birthday of the Marine Corps. A forma- tion of Marines and Sailors on ASHLAND ' s tlight deck was addressed by Commanding Officer of Troops Marine Captain A. X. King Dixon, and ASHLAND Commanding Officer Captain D. W. Keith, on the long history of the U.S. Marine Corps, and it ' s tradition in working with the Amphibi ous Navy. A birthday cake made for the celebration, was cut by Captain Dixon with the aid of the vount ' ost and oldest Marines on board. The senior Marine on board stood bye during the ceremony because he was a Sailor. ASHLAND ' s own SHI Paul Munoz served in the Marine Corps from 1966 to 1968. before joining the Navy and received his own slice of the birthday cake, having been a Marine before some of those present had even been born. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Supporting Marines landed ashore. ASHLAND closed the week anchored off the coast of Egypt, and served ice cream sundaes on Sunday on the ship ' s mess decks. Yet the Marines ashore, going through combat maneuvers on the same desert sands that Rommel once battled, are not forgotten on ASHLAND. Before, when we were off Mogadishu. I really worried, says SN Melvin D. Mitchell, of ASHLAND ' s dental depart- ment. We knew if we sent the Marines ashore, some of them might not be com- ing back. Now, we can send them ashore with no worries, and we know they ' re comins back. 28 November: Major Dad landed in Toulon. France, to visit the Sailors and embarked Marines of USS ASHLAND (LSD 48) this Thanksgiving. Television stai Gerald McRaney visited the Atlantic Fleet ' s premier amphibious warfare ship w hile ASHLAND spent Thanksgiving Day at the French port city. I ' d like to thank Vice Admiral Lope i ' ov extending this invitation to me. I ' d also like to tiiank liiose who were responsible for planning (ihis lour) for leaving the best for last. said Mr. McRaney. who is isiting Si ih Fleet units. The star ol the Iclcvision series Major Dad shook IuiikIs w uh W SMmmn mm ' « ' ' a™