Austin (LPD 4) - Naval Cruise Book

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ODESSA, UKRAINE 25-27 OCT - 01-04 NOV 1998 Hundreds of Ukrainians greeted the AUSTIN at the pier on the day of her arrival and a mili- tary band played the national anthems of both coun- tries. The Ukrainians were very curious about the Americans and asked the sailors and marines may (.|uestions about life at home, to pose with them for pictures, and believe or not to sign autographs. The dominant Language is Russian, although many people spoke Hnglish and were eager to practice their English with us. In rural areas, Ukrainian is spoken. Odessa is located on the Black Sea coast of the Ukraine, a former republic of the Soviet Union. Catherine the Great, who wanted a Seaport on the Black Sea, founded it at the turn of the 1 8th century. She was advised that the location was unsuitable due to lack of water, but she was not dissuaded and ca- nals and cisterns were constructed to overcome this problem. Nowadays, Odessa is home to 1 .5 million people, and growing. It ' s development as a seacoast resort community has contributed to a population that ' s tripled over the last hundred years. Hundreds of street vendors had stands set up in a park located in the main shopping district. Artwork, nesting dolls, Soviet Union military paraphernalia were among the most popular items sought out and purchased by the crew of the AUSTIN. Good deals were the order of the day, especially since the ex- change rate was 3.5 Ukrainian Hryvnia (pronounced Greevna) to 1 U.S. dollar. Street musicians performed traditional Ukrianian folk music as thousands of people strolled through the tree-lined street and re- laxed at cafes. Plenty of tasty food was available and ranged from Borscht to pizza. Throngs of people and a military brass band welcomes the AUSTIN to Odessa. 22 USS Ausini A shot of the welcoming center as the AUSTIN pulls into the port of Odessa bmeslonesl

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Cwntown BrindisI on a warm autumn evening. im«tit A beautiful anchor-shaped fountain serves as a reminder of the importance of Brindlsi ' s maritime heritage. The many quiet cafes in BrindisI allow Austin ' s crew to catcl their breath after 43 days at sea on Lone Star Station

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:obblestone street int he shopping district of Odessa. This man is dressed in a traditional cossack outfit. He was seen by many of the crew and readliy posed for pictures.