Bordelon (DDR 881) - Naval Cruise Book

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The SIXTH FLEET S, ince the early days of the nineteenth century— when ships were made of wood and iron men were making Navy tradition, when Barbary pirates were rampant and uncontested on the high seas-the United States has periodically kept warships in European waters, particu- larly in the Mediterranean Sea. Beginning with the War with Tripoli in 1802, and almost continually since 1886, American sea power in this area of more than a million square miles has aided in assuring peace— a recognized historic responsibility of the United States. Today, the U. S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, commanded by Vice Ad- miral John Jennings Bal- lentine, is the Navy ' s larg- est permanent operational fleet on the high seas. Its mission, defined in 1946 by the late Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal, is twofold— to support Allied occupation forces and the Allied Military Govern- ment in the discharge of their responsibilities, and to protect United States interests and support United States policies in the area. Composed of an aircraft carrier, a division of cruisers, a squadron of destroyers and sustaining auxiliary ves- sels-normally about twenty ships in all, manned by twelve thousand officers and men and a reinforced bat- talion of Marines-the Sixth Fleet is a subordinate op- erational command of the Commander-in-Chief, United States Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, with headquarters in London. As one of the three Com- manders-in-Chief under the Chief of Naval Operations, his boundaries of jurisdiction extend roughly from a point just east of the Azores to a point beyond India, and from the North Pole to the Equator. The Sixth Fleet has no base in the Mediterranean Sea; it must therefore remain continually on the move, engaging in exercises at sea or calling at any of scores of foreign ports in the area. Rarely does the Fleet re- main in any one port for more than a week; usually the visit is lor three or four days. With minor exceptions, each vessel of the Sixth I- leel serves lor a period o) lour months in the Medi- terranean while on de tached duty from the At- lantic Fleet. Vessels com- pleting their tours are re- lieved in a Mediterranean port by other vessels of similar types and returned to the United Slates for shipyard repairs and alterations. lici being briefed, the new arrivals swing into a si he chile ol operations which trains the officers and men in independent movements and Eamiliarizes them not onl) Willi the waters in which the) cinisc lint also with the people, ciisioins and traditions ill the various countries they visit. The four-month regular rotation of the ships and their personnel permits the max- imum number of officers and men to become ac- quainted with the Mediter- ranean area. In the Navy today are tens of thousands who have made the cruise. Some of the officers and men are old hands and know this area well; others are new, young and wide- eyed, perhaps making their first cruise in foreign waters. But for all, duty with the Sixth Fleet is considered tops; it is exciting and fasci- nating. The high morale of the Fleet might be attributed to the fact that at sea and in port the men are always busy. Intensive maintenance is a standing order and under- standably a necessary one. If emergency repairs are needed during the four- month tour, adequate dry- dock facilities are available ▲. ifeV in tlie area on a r u1 basis. At sea, the routine is maintenance and train- ing; in port, maintenance, training and fun for the crew ashore. Admiral Bal- lentine believes in giving his men the maximum op portunity to get acquainted with the Mediterranean lands and their peoples. Shore leave is as liberal as the situation warrants. Prior to entering a new port, information is disseminated calling attention to the port ' s place in world history and describing its historic landmarks. Upon arrival, educa- tional tours are arranged. If the men have relatives in the area leaves are arranged for them so that the can pass their time in port with their kin. Some main and bring their wives back to the United States. There are no idle hands in this Fleet. Work and pla) periods alike are crammed full. The training is so in- tensive that it is probable that the men do and learn more in a shorter period ol time than the) would in actual combat. They are drilled in methods ol repelling air and submarine attacks .wn air targets, including the elusive radio-controlled drones. The) learn how to re- cover men overboard and how to extinguish lues; othei training helps them to sharpen communications and to master effective ship maneuvers. Ml ol the training brings into pla) the most up-to-date strateg) and tactics as a means ol maintaining the- Sixth Fleel al the peak of readiness. For the men who scramble ashore aftei hectic days at se.i this is the best ilutv in the world. Most ol them, insatiable collectors, keep a constani How ol photographs and souvenirs returning in the in.nK to the lolks back 1101111 ' . Il is estimated thai the nun I the Meet spend two million dollars annuall) in the foreign ports the) isil. The Sixth Fleel sailoi who joined the Nav) to see the world is seeing it. Each is a roving ambassadoi in a 1

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1 Mediterranean Cruise

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in the tfteditewaHeah ■to Nav) uniform creating good will and a bette: undei standing with the people with whom he comes in con- tact. During a regular Eour-month toui ol dut) with the Sixth Fleet, sailors on shore leave may visit Athens, Greece ( Say, we studied aboul the Acropolis in oui histor) class ); Venice ( It ' s not like the movie s ); Naples, Genoa, and Rome ( 1 shook the Pope ' s hand! ); Gibraltei ( So that ' s the big rock ); Casablanca ( 1 didn ' t see Humphrey Bogart ); Rhodes ( Deal Mom- It ' s wonderful ); and a score ol oilier places thai at- tra t tourists the world over. Like his predecessor Admi- ral Forrest P. Sherman, now Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Commander Ballentine is a student ol the Mediter- ranean. Having served in the Med on two cruises as an aircraft carrier division com- mander, he unhesitatingly de- scribes his duty as the best in the Navy. His guest book reads like an international Who ' s Who; it is inscribed with names of kings and queens, presidents, governors, mayors, cardinals and bishops, dukes and duchesses. He collects and reads avidly everything published about the Mediterranean, supplementing his reading knowledge during calls with tours and conversations with officials. Each visit is a good will mission. Newspapers of the countries of the Mediterranean refer to Admiral Ballen- tine ' s ships as the friendly fleet. Rarely do all the ships of the Sixth Fleet call at the same port at the same time. fter Fleet exercises, or perhaps a mock amphibious landing on some foreign shore with the approval of the government concerned, units and groups are detached to visit various ports. Later all meet at sea to continue their training. For the significant diplo- matic chore of extending the Fleet ' s good will to local offi- cials, Admiral Ballentine is assisted by two rear admirals, the commanders of the cruiser and carrier divisions included with the Fleet. Their sched- ule in port is a busy one. The entire first day in port may be spent in calling on local officials, with the evening devoted to an official reception. The second day sees the local authorities returning the Admiral ' s call on shipboard. Whenever possible, a recep- tion is held on board the flagship to repay local courtesies. Greeting the press, attending local church services and public celebrations and reviewing parades make the schedule in port a crowded one. Only Admiral Ballentine ' s immediate staff of twenty officers and about one hundred and fifty men remain in the Mediterranean area for a period longer than four months. Staff personnel normally stay from eighteen to twenty months supervising the training of each succes- sive group. In most cases, the married staff members have their wives and families in Europe with them, some residing at Villefranche or Cap Ferrat on the French Riviera, others in Naples and Rome, with some fol- lowing the Fleet. Over holiday periods, the members ol the staff ma) go on leave or theii wives and families m,i join them .ii the port where the) happen to he inn poraril) based. The bulk ol the Fleet ' s fuel oil is obtained from tankei s. With the exception ol some fresh liuiis. vegetables and other pei ishables, all supplies are brought out in ships from the United Slates about ever) six weeks. Perishables are pur- chased locallv by the individ- ual ship suppl) officers but onl) when mkIi supplies are in excess ol local needs. Bids are requested Eor the ma- terial needed and the order is given to the lowest bicldei capable of meeting specifications. Large-scale replenishments of food, fuel oil, aviation gasoline and other supplies, an all hands job, are us- tomarily made in replenishment anchorages, where Stan members make a minimum of official calls. Necessary replenishments also are effected while the ships are at sea, perfecting the techniques developed during World War II for keeping the Fleet uninterruptedly in action. The communication system in the Sixth Fleet, as in all large and compl ex organizations, is the coordinating lifeline. Few activities ' of the Navy compare with the Sixth Fleet command in volume of communications traffic handled. Scores of radio and visual messages are initiated and received on board the Fleet flagship daily, keeping far-flung operations at all times under control. Mail from the United States is delivered 1 Milium Air Transport Service planes on an average of five days after it is posted, if the ships are in port. Mail for the Fleet is first deposited at Port Lyauty, French Morocco, where it is sorted and bagged for individual ships. Then it is flown to the ports where the ships are anchored or scheduled to call. When the ships arrive in port, mail is awaiting them. As in all military organizations, this is an important factor in keeping high the spirits of men away from their loved ones. Duty with this potent .Med- iterranean force is prized. A nineteen-year-old flagship ra- dioman comments: I ' ve been out here three months now. Time goes fast. Maybe it ' s because we ' re always doing something. I joined the Naw to see the world, and believe me. I ' m seeing it. A salt in the staff communications gang chimes in: I shipped ovei just to get this duty and I consider sea duty in the Med as the best there is. I ' ve been out here for over two years and after I get back to the States to see my lolks. I ' m putting in for this duty again. This is the United States Sixth Fleet, described In Admiral Sherman as a powerful factor in maintaining the policies and prestige of the United States in the Mediterranean. It is a far cry horn those earl) la s when the sheer boldness and daring of one man named Decatur made history in these wauis and set the pat- tern for what is more easil) felt than defined as Naw tradition.