Aucilla (AO 56) - Naval Cruise Book

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PALERMO. Probably of all the obscure ports the AUCILLA visited during the cruise, none was more of a pleasant surprise than Palermo. Maybe it was the time of the year (summer) or perhaps it was because we had learned to adapt ourselves to anything . . . but we found enough to occupy our time in Palermo. This city, the largest in Sicily, offered some excel- lent beaches, bars, and eating establishments. It was here that the skin divers club was or- ganized . . . Caporin, Johnson, Hock and whoever else was cur- ious enough to brave the Sicil- ian waters. We didn ' t expect much out of Palermo (after all, weren ' t we supposed to be in Barcey?) but our boat crews can testify that the boys went over on the beach in this port. Of course there was the inevit- able 0300 boat run for Chief Kinard, but he wasn ' t alone. Palermo Bay

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TRIPOLI. PROCEED ARRIVE TRIPOLI X OFFLOAD 20M BBLS. ... And so wl- went... and went... and went. Yes, the same Tripoli immortalized in song. One of the leading cities of the Arab world held a strange fascination for the men of the ALICILLA. It has a P.X. Count- less hours were sp)ent by crew members at the Wheelus Ex- change. After all, how often did we get near the closest thing to the corner drug store? Four times AUCILLA journeyed to Iripoli to deliver AVGAS to the Air Force, and four times we got the job done, despite the odds. And who will ever forget the odds? Tying up at Wheelus was one job that stumped the most expert of Boatswain Mates. Every line aboard was used in the process, but sooner or later (much later) we pumped. No, there were no tours of Tripoli, but in some ways it will be remembered as well as Barcelona. National Bank of Libya 38 V % 66 82 73 64 39 5 94 77 70 33 1 32 I, »?4 (cons Yacht Club 3? 53 c , VGasr knu

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TARANTO. Awright already. So where ' sTaranto? Yeah, that ' s lower Slobbovia aint it? Yeah, them Commies got the place sewed up. 1 hear they got these people to say nuttin ' to nobody - ' specially no sailor. Scuttlebutt gleanings from the deck? Truth or fantasy? When the Sixth Fleet operations placed us in Taranto we found the average person friendly. Not voluable or outgoing, but responsive to friendly overtures. Of course, it was with some regret that wc pointed our bow away from Barcelona and headed to Taranto, but the friendly hospitality of the Italian Navy made us tend to forget. It was here in Taranto that our ball team got underway wit! daily inter-divisional games. Even the Captain got into the act by soundly whipping all comers on the tennis court. Most of us were too busy gun-decking for the coming administrative inspection to get bored and spare hours could be spent at the Jolly Hotel, which offered the best atmosphere (the only, the delicate might say) for an evening drink. The brown-baggers were not to be outdone either. We were pleasantly surprised to see five wives con e alongside in the Captain ' s Gig, after a ted- ious journey from Barcelona. Several of us packed our ditty bags and returned to Rome for a few days rest and relaxation. We did not leave Taranto with tears in our eyes, but instead we left with a feeling that we were welcome to return. And wc did! tf- Officer ' s Club Swans