Compass Island (AG 153) - Naval Cruise Book

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,I USS COMPASS ISLAND IAG- 1532 COMPASS ISLAND initially served in the mer- chant service as the S.S. GARDEN MARINER., Built as a fast cargo ship, the GARDEN MARI-4 NER made trips to North Africa and the Orient' after her completion in 1953. The Navy acquiredr the ship from the U.S. Maritime Administration: after a decision had been made that a ship of thisr type would make the best test vehicle for precision: I navigation equipment. The ship was converted by the New York Navalt Shipyard and commissioned on 3 December l956.. The conversion included the installation of a sys-- tem unique for a naval vessel - roll stabilizers. These stabilizers sense the ship's roll and adjust automatically to counteract it. While sister ships roll twenty degrees, COMPASS ISLAND. in the same seaway, rolls about two degrees. Automatic gyro steering is also installed to further assist han- dling characteristics. This provides the degree of ' steering accuracy necessary for the navigation sys- ' tems testing done by this ship. COMPASS ISLAND's primary mission is to advance the development of navigation systems for Polaris, Poseidon and Trident FBM Subma- rines through operational research and evaluation. COMPASS ISLAND is especially suited to this mission because she provides the space, facilities. speed, cruising radius, stability. and sea-worthi- - ness needed for the efficient pursuit of such stud- ' ies. ' The COMPASS ISLAND program is conducted under the general direction of the Strategic Sys- tems Project Office, Naval Ships Systems Com- mand and the technical direction of Sperry Sys- tems Management Division of Sperry Rand Cor- l poration, Great Neck, New York. Close coopera- tion is maintained with vendors of navigational equipment and with other agencies. both private and governmental. which are actively contributing to the development of Polaris, Poseidon and Tri- dent navigational systems. This ship, the first U. S. Navy ship to bear the name COMPASS ISLAND. is named after an island in Penobscot Bay, Maine. COMPASS ISLAND is under the operational and administrative control of Commander. Suh- marine Force, U. S. Atlantic Fleet and is assigned to Submarine Group SIX. The ship is homeported in Charleston. South Carolina, and is normally - berthed at the Charleston Naval Station. Charles- ton, S.C.

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. Er:-Lrg , 12 rv ,,,..J, ' U? Iwi' 'l. i 75. . ,E , nw r 42.16 COMPASS ISLAND pulled into Avomdale Shipyard in February 1977 for hull and engineering plant repairs. Selected as the yard best suited for COMPASS ISLAND from among the others on the east coast, we slipped into what is reputedly one of the world's largest floating drydocks. Ideally located at the foot of the Mississippi River, Avondale sits on the west bank just north of New Orleans, Louisiana. As always, being in the yards meant working around the clock in order to accomplish all scheduled jobs. But in New Orleans, there is a custom: a carnival of brilliant costumes and pagan lineage. A harbinger of the nigh-approaching spring, Mardi Gras is celebrated. So despite the long work day, poor and expensive transportation, we celebrated with the natives their world famous Mardi Gras. Caught up in the festive spirit prevailing throughout the city, we traveled the highways and byways of New Orleans, sampling the renowned Creole cuisine. When not roaming the side streets of the downtown, we watched a new generation of supertankers being built around us in the yards. Even the voyage home was memorable as we ducked under the Huey P. Long Bridge, and then slalomed down the river through traffic and fog. Once in the Gulf of Mexico, we settled down into a normal underway routine and began an uneventful transit to Charleston. 3 I r I