Benham (DD 796) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 36 text:

w i mr v»r ■ u ■ ' ENSIGN CURRY AND VISITORS FLEET LANDING, TRIPOLI ; ■ • ■ c F 4i- if ' tj« if m - ■: -« :- h tt m3 • ■ iti r. i r TRIPOLI Tripoli gets its name from Tripolitania, the land of three cities; Leptis Moyna, Oea (Modern Tripoli) and Sabratha. All are terminat- ing centers for caravans into central Africa. It is most famous for harboring the Barbary Pirates subdued by Captains Bainbridge and Decatur, American heroes of 1800. Tours of the town and nearby Sabratha ruins plus the swimming and beer at the local Air Base were the most popular diversions for the boys on the BENHAM. Unique souvenirs were also plentiful such as camel riders boots, inlaid music boxes and many kinds of rugs. The sandstone buildings were typical of the African and Arabic architecture. The natives dressed in turbans and blankets and riding on small donkeys or horse carts, were quite a change from Northern Europe. ARCHWAY INTO THE OLD CITY

Page 35 text:

GIBRALTAR, BRITISH CROWN COLONY After being tailed, by the Coii iiian(Jing Officer of our relief in Plymouth, a beautiful destroyer , wc left Plymouth for Gibraltar on July 30 arriving there three days later on the morning of August 2. About minutes after we tied up and secured the special sea detail, the boatswain ' s mate piped All hands quarters for Captain ' s Inspection and Change of Command Ceremonies . So all hands shifted into inspection whites and layed topside for inspection by the new and old captains. The crew gathered on the fantail for the relieving ceremony. Here Commander Allen P. Cook said fare- well as our Commanding Officer and accepted our first commission pennant. Commander J. T. Hodgson accepted command of the U.S.S. BENHAM. We were in Gibraltar for three days of liberty and those who were inter- ested took taxis and visited many of the historic parts of Gibraltar. Some went even so far as to climb the Rock itself. Swimming was quite popular too, although the water was surprisingly icy, but was nevertheless welcome because of the heat. The possession of Gibraltar, guard of the entrance to the Mediterranean, FAMOUS ROCK was held by Arabs and Berbers (Moors), Spain and finally after bitter fighting, England in 1704. Since 1713 when Gibraltar was made a British Colony, Eng- land has made it a valuable naval base and has made it almost impregnable with its fortifications and thousands of tunnels. The Rock is inhabited mostly by Italian-Genoese descent with a number of Maltese and Jews. Our second visit on September 5 was for about ten hours. The main purpose for returning was to refuel on our waj- back to the States. Half the crew was given the first four hours and the other half the remaining four hours to have a last shopping spree. And the stores were wide open waiting for us. Around 2200 all was in readiness for getting underway when water was found in the fuel. It was thought we wouldn ' t get underway after all, but the engineers (what would we do without them) fixed it and the BENHAM was on its way home to good old U.S.A. HIGH VIEW — GOOD SHOT

Page 37 text:

H . r ■ Ir ■ ' a ' I t V iiiiiiiiwiiiiiii ' iiiiiiiiiiimm I . r-. ,U. -- - - -iiJp IIA1,IA. NAVAL HEADyi ARlliKS TARANTO, ITALY Taranto, on the southern toast of Italy in the instep of the boot, was a typical, sunny Mediterranean seaport. A major Italian naval base, it is built on a rocky tongue of land which separates the ancient inner harbor, Mar Piccolo on the east, from the outer harbor Mar Grande on the west. The city ' s history dates back as far as the year 707 B.C. It was founded by the Greeks, but from 209 B.C. onward, there was a rapid succession of rulers, including the Romans, the Byzantines, and the Saracens who completely destroyed it in 927 A.D. Taranto has a population of about 100,000 and is one of the cleanest cities that we visited in the Mediterranean. The BENHAM moored alongside the destroyer tender U.S.S. SHENANDOAH for a scheduled ten day tender availability, and also for repairs to the starboard engine. The tender was unable to make the necessary repairs, however, and we received orders to proceed to Boston Navy Yard. These were very welcome orders indeed, and after the tender removed our starboard screw with the aid of the Navy ' s frogmen, we headed to the States in company of the U.S.S. HYADES (AF 28). We had all enjoyed the Italian wines and foods consumed in the numerous sidewalk cafes, the sandy beaches, and the warm weather, but we can honestly state that all hands were more than glad to be heading home at last. OUR SCREW OPEN AIR BARS