Baltimore (CA 68) - Naval Cruise Book

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o1'IlIrvL BOSTON-lhal golden dream in lhe wesl, lhal slrange place lhal many ol us had begun lo believe was iusl a mylh aller whal had seemed so long away: and yel, lhere il was, lhe Cusloms l-louse lower slanding high above ils neigh- bors, lhe Golden Dome shining in lhe mid-Oclober sun, and lhal long, beaulilul pier in Soulh Boslon where we lied up alongside lhe Worcesler, and were home again. And lhen began a busy lime lor ship and crew. Leave came lirsl, lor many ol us, lor some lhe lirsl leave since recommissioning in I95 l, and lhe lirsl leave parly lell lhe ship lo begin a long and sleady procession going and com- ing lhroughoul our slay. Schools loo, look many ol us lrom our iobs aboard ship, lo receive new or rielresher lraining in lhe lhousand and one iobs lhal combine lo make a mod- ern warship run-including, ol course, lhe perrenial lire lighling al Newporl, 'midsl lhe cold, snow, and slush ol lhe New England winler. We weren'l long in Soulh Boslon when came lime lor us lo move lo our berlh al Charleslown, and lhe beginning ol The Golden Dome our briel yard period, Aller a shorl lime oll lor our visil lo Ballimore, and a day and a hall lo unload our ammuni- lion al Presidenl Roads, we pulled in lo Pier 5, and pre- pared lor lhe swarms ol yard workers lhal were soon slreaming on and oll our gangways. l-lere, loo, ended lhe relalive peace and quiel ol Soulh Boslon, giving way lo lhe sleady clang ol lhe chipping hammer and lhe slaccalo rallle ol lhe pneumalic chipper, while lhe air was belouled by lhe acrid smell ol burning melal and painl lrom lhe many welding lorches. ll was nol all work, however. Time was lound lo hold lhe ship's parly and dance, a line brawl oul back ol l-lolel Fargo. As lhe season ol good cheer and Sanla Claus rolled around, we gave a parly on board lor a group ol Boslon orphans, complele wilh ice cream, cake, and Sainl Nick himsell lo pass oul lhe presenls, So lhe days passed and lhe work progressed, and sud- denly we lound ourselves slanding by lor dock lrials, lhen sea lrials, and in whal seemed like no lime al all we were -from a glorious pasl C fu 70

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T Top Row, lefl' 'ro rigl1+: T. A. Duplessie, LTJG S. G. Wiener, Jr., LT R. J. Rivera, LCDR R. D. Lazenby, LT D. P. L. Berry, E, J. Donslrad. BoH'om Row: G. R, Vermelle, J. D. Ralslon, A. F. Williams, D. E. Newell, R. L. McBurney. The Admiral's Barge ComCruDiv 4 Band

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back ouT in PresidenT Roads To reload, and oTT To Ne-wporT Tor shakedown. Then, one brighT morning in March, we slipped our lines Trom Army Pier, SouTh BosTon, sTeamed pasT The lighTship, and seT our course Tor GuanTanamo Bay, Cuba, To Try ouT The new gear we had goTTen while in The yard, and To Take The winTer's kinks ouT oT ourselves and our machinery. Three weeks in GiTmo, Then back To BosTon, arriving on Good Friday in April oT l953, To Pier 9, Tor a lasT brieT chance To say goodby To wives and sweeThearTs beTore shoving oTT again. New men came aboard Tor duTy, men soon To be TransTerred or discharged said goodby To Their buddies, Trucks arrived in an endless sTream bringing The Thousand and one supplies we'd need in The monThs To come, The Seal cleaners made Their lasT pickups and deliv- eries. Cn ZI April I953, To The sTirring sTrains oT Anchors Aweigh we Took our leave oT BosTon-Town and seT our course To The easT, To The broad ATlanTic, The Med, and anoTher summer wiTh The SixTh FleeT. M-e-e-e-e-r-r-y Chrisfmas Ship's Ball