Bainbridge (DLGN 25) - Naval Cruise Book

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Executive Officer The Executive Officer of Bainbridge is Commander John Bell, USN, a graduate of the Naval Academy in 1947. He served aboard the aircraft carrier Coral Sea with the U. S. Adantic Fleet until 1950, with duties in the Navigation, Engineering, and Executive Depart- ments. Next he had a short tour of duty on the mine- sweeper Lorikeet, followed by further minesweeping operations as Executive Officer of Mocking Bird and Commanding Officer of GtdL taking part in combat operations off Korea. On returning to the United States, he served as Navigator of the Presidential yacht lF 7- iani.sburg until she was decommissioned in 1953, and during this period he was also Officer in Charge of Camp David, the Presidential summer camp in Mary- land. After normal tours of duty in the Bureau of Ships and aboard Brown (DD 546), he spent the year 1957-58 at the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, in the command and staff course. He was assigned next as Chief Staff Officer of Destroyer Development Group RWO at Newport, and later completed the one-year Nuclear Power Training Course at Mare Island, Cali- fornia, and Arco, Idaho. His awards include the Bronze Star with Combat V for combat minesweep- ing operations at Hungnam, Wonsan, Inchon, and Chinnampo, Korea.

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INTRODUCTION Bainbridge represents the United States Navy ' s first venture in combining the versatility and striking power of the destroyer with the durabihty and endurance of nuclear power. Her ap- pearance alone gives promise of speed, power, and versatility that, through the years, have been the special mark of the destroyer. But there is far more than mere promise in Bain- bridge; there is also the built-in ability to produce results in a manner never imagined before by the destroyermen of the fleet ' s early years. This was demonstrated in her first deployment to the Mediterranean just four months after commissioning. The top speed o{ Bainbridge is classified, but there is no secret to the fact that she can cruise at full speed for distances up to 180,000 miles, the equivalent of better than seven times around the world. At a conservative speed of twenty knots, she can keep going for roughly 450,000 miles. This means that there is no place upon the seas of this planet to which Bain- bridge cannot steam on an instant ' s notice, carrying to the scene of an emergency a self-suffi- cient, powerful instrument of sea power. It is tliis feature of mobility h.diig vts Bainb ridge her unique position in the history of Navy destroyers. She has the mobility to race unaided to any target area upon the sea lanes of the world. She has the endurance to maneuver in that area for an indefinite period of time, with- out the awkward necessity of breaking off operations to make rendezvous with a tanker for refueling. With her deadly striking power and her nuclear capacity for almost unlimited staying power Bainbridge is a mighty force for world peace. Should the demand arise, she could deliver with swift response her full capability. She represents as do all our fighting ships, the ability of the Navy to carry out its mission of defending free world security by maintaining control of the seas. Bainbridge is a proud symbol of destroyer tradition and of the destroyerman ' s dedication to service. But in a more critical scope, Bainbridge is also a symbol of the Fleet of Tomorrow and of the Navy ' s role as champion of freedom upon the resdess waters of the world.