Bowen (FF 1079) - Naval Cruise Book

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Life at sea is hard to describe Life at sea is, to say the least, difficult to de- scribe. The pages that follow document something LBowenLif L of the regiment of a six month deployment. The history of deploy- ments made by BOWEM be- fore the 1987 Mediterranean cruise is chronicled on pages 20-21, followed on the next two pages by photos from the April 29 depen- dent ' s cruise which pre- ceded the deployment by about a month. On pages 24-25, CDR Rich- ard A. Robbins relieves CDR Robert D. Moser as Com- manding Officer of BOWEri, just eight days before the de- ployment began. RADM Boorda ' s visit to BOWEN during the Atlantic transit back to Charleston at the end of the deployment is described on pages 26-27, followed on the next two pages by photos and a story on BOWEM ' S ESWS pro- gram. The flight quarters routine is documented on pages SC- SI. EMS Mohamed Aouam, LT Pasquale Prezioso and EMS Larry Lott, three tempo- rary shipmates, are intro- duced on pages 32-33. Underway replenish- ments, one of the most dan- gerous and exciting ship- board evolutions, are fea- tured on pages 34-35. Photos of a stores onload and members of First Divi- sion painting the hull of the ship appear on pages 36-39. The Supply Department is at work on pages 40-41, feed- ing the crew, while boat- swain ' s mates, splicing the ship ' s mooring lines, are the topic of pages 42-43. Prior to a photo essay on both BOWEN ' S departure from and return to Charies- ton on pages 46-47, boiler technicians rigging out a fire pump are featured on pages 44-45. Right, Bowen sailors observe USS Saratoga (CV-60) and other battle group ships from the signal bridge. The ships were in close formation around the aircraft carrier for a photo exercise. Bowens station was 200 yards off of the carrier ' s starboard quarter. Auxiliaries Division, below, was the only division on the ship to achieve 100 percent Enlisted Surface War- fare Specialist qualification of all el- igible petty officers. I %lh f 11 18 BowenLife

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Best port MALAGA ■ Bravo EspQna! It was generally regarded as the best port visit of MED 3-87. It was sunny beaches, interest- ing tours and abundant evening activities. It was Malaga, Spain. BOWEN arrived in Malaga on July 20. Located on a narrow coastal plain 260 miles south of Madrid, Malaga has a population of about 450,000. Malaga is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, one of the most famous artists in history. While in Spain, many sailors toured the Alhambra, a spectacu- lar Moorish citadel and palace lo- Liberty, Spanish style SPAin OrrERED BOWEM sailors days and evenings full of European-style activity. Clockwise, from upper left: MM3 Bobby Johnson was one of many crew members to take the donkey safari tour (photograph by AWAA Holt); RM5 Stephen Tipton s Walkman identified him as an American on a Spanish beach (photograph by RMSH Frank); QMCM William Reed, LT Pasquale Prezioso, and MCI Mark Qill are about to board a bus for a tour of the Alhambra (photograph by RMl LittleReld); QMSM Robert Lyons met a British friend at one of Torremolinos ' many bars (photograph by QMQSM Brown); EMS Jim Collins and EMS Mitch Paul celebrate their arrival in Spain (photograph by QMQSn Brown); MM3 Math- an Clarke gets to know a new friend by the pool (staff photograph). cated in Granada. Others toured the Spanish countryside on a don- key safari. The ship ' s Command- ing Officer conducted a formal per- sonnel inspection and awards cer- emony. But the biggest attraction dur- ing BOWEri ' S Spanish port visit was Torremolinos. Easily accessi- ble from Malaga, Torremolinos was once a tiny fishing village. To- day it is a well known international tourist resort. In the summer, resi- dents of France, Holland, England, Germany, and many others invade Torremolinos for a month long holiday . Hotels, pools, bars, shops and beaches dominate Torremolinos . Crew members par- ticularty enjoyed the company of friendly European vacationers and a virtually non-stop night life. Spain ' s population, roughly equivalent to that of riew England, is lower than most European coun- tries. Although Spain has no offi- cial religion, more than 90 percent of the population are Catholic. BOWEM left Malaga on July 27, 1987 to continue anti-submarine warfare operations. Sunny beaches, tours, hot night- life made Spain the best port of MED 3-87. Liberty Call 17

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BTl Dick Moravec, above, aligns Mo. 2 fire pump to its motor. The alignment process, which is per- formed whenever major repairs are made to a pump or motor, can take from 2-20 hours to complete. BM2 Garry Tines, far left, splices one of the ships mooring lines us- ing a marlinspike. Boatswains have used marlinspikes to splice lines for hundreds of years. Left, Bowen sailors move stores from the ship s flight deck to the mess decks while anchored off the coast of Augusta Bay, Sicily. The supplies were lowered to the flight deck by a CH46 helicopter. Bowen Life X9