Coronado (LPD 11) - Naval Cruise Book

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ions Officer Lt Frank , September aD, 1974 .G by ome OQ lea irut in ev cu ion well dock of Its ition from Leban However, there was no atmosphere o tension or foreboding about th evacuation, which the embassy arrang after plans for a motor convoy t Damascus were abandoned because th road was not considered safe. . I . ' C ' ' 4 e hter planes might be needed. , Q 1 4 ec t e Many of those leaving said they woul be commg back. Some said they wer taking advantage of the fre transportation to get a vacation. It's a free ticket to Athens, said one young American girl. Why not? But some said they could no longer takl it after 15 months of civil war in whicl more than 33,000 persons are estimated tr have died. The deterioration of Beirut i: unbelievable, terrible, said William E. Ready of Washington, .D.C.,' a businessman departing with his wife. My bank has burned down three times. ,And all these killings, and nobody ever does anything about it. The evacuation was preceded by a night f heavy fighting in Beirut and the hill illages overlooking the capital Security ources and hospitals reported more thai v1-:11nA and 'lan val-duoug, an U - - watching the departure it looked more firing SeVefa1fl - ' ' - all conceihelglrx hike 250 to 300 persons, and the White. -W2S.I1f11f 1 l i 6.2.IlfL.in kim.-..-:..'.. wg, OHS? an ...+J..,...- ,. . . E , . , O n S in rescue 3 ll U I 'e I C . ' i When. the 16,900-ton am- 5 phibious transport ship U .S.S. - - . A . - C 'A Coronado QLPD-lil anchored ' ' ' e e off Beirut's coastline early . G f I n G r e Tuesday morning to 'pick up i V ' , ' ,, and 'transport several Y . ' A A ' ace aboard the hundred Americans and for- ATHENS, Greece MP7 eigners away from war-torn 'Navy tranSP0ff' Coronado Lebannon, one of those on ' ' 145 board was Assistant Air Americans and about I other nationalities from war-tgglh It minal at . capital, to Athens today after a Sm 103211-13i'6,000.tQn amphibious eeted at the U.S.-Greek I' N . 3 i - egtami. outside evacuees, 3 'b s . T alinqnong BEIRUT from the Americans and - den FYCHCPT AUSU'1a Palesti' The 25,900-ton A910118 those moment. -The consultations and freece. AH emb3SSy Signed an forthe them Americans - showed Other while Presi fp about-1 Beirut S seafront Amo the evacuees were cnnure Athens on Thursday Whoge departure Operat . - Mcafee Jr., son of retired navalcaptain and Mrs. Frank Mcafee Sr.,'g 505 Cooper St., Rome. - 4 Mcafee assisted in the preparation for and actual logistics of evacuating some 300 persons from the country, including the U.S. Ambas- I l l sador to Lebannon, Talcott W. Seeyle. - President Ford kept close watch on the evacuion in a conference room at the White lHouse Monday night went to bed only after being told that the evacuation had been ac- 'shed without hitch compli - ' The Coronado is headed for 1 s Athens, Greece with passengers. , East Rome High 501100 Lt Mcafee is a graduate of l and a 1971 graduate of the U.S. l Etr e ees reach safety Qn Greece laman Mike Schweppe fright phgtol mes the baby of an Australian pas tiger from. the U.S. Navy amphibious msport ship.Coronado' as it arrives at F P0rt of Piraeus, near Athens The carried 300 evacuees ,from civil -torn Lebanon. - S8zS photo by Cole

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i QQNEEKLY X in-Y A- H, ,,,,,, W, ...,.-.......-.s,Y --.K-.4..m'f-W ----if-H 7 Y l rr WAS succsssrua oPEnATloN...' 1 - , f L b - Th e acua lon e I lan rom 1gE1RU-f, Lebanon New Jersey businessman. He was M THE U,S, NAVY completed overloaded with suitcases, and a .ts second evacuation of Ameri- set of golf clubs. He was soon ans and other foreigners from followed by other Americans and var-torn Lebanon recently,butit foreigners who pushed baby vas hardly a combat affair. The strollers and lugged heavy bags, Javy landing craft's crew found tennis rackets, cameras, and lime fora coffee break, and about umbrellas. the only tension centered on 'B' ' lrhether a b jrop his 4 faby strollers ihe sand. .. r But U S irepared for T nseen but f the 6th 'Iarines and .bout 300 Jreigners left igton, ld Rumsfeld vacuation fro :built war citizens aboard, evacuees from West Beirut eases rd -acked the Coronado, for berthing. ffiCC of hi demonstra A mo 7hiCf, GSH- professioi ard. The evacua ' ahsm inassuring the safe evacu: , . . 'a' I the Bam miles Off Sh0fC- tion of U.S. citizens and otha an lest Beirut ina opera- It was an emotional farewell foreign natignals from Benny in on. for the Americans and other extend to yon mythanksforajol n The U.S. Embassy in Beirut foreigners who left everything in lad originally planned an over- Lebanon. One American said he -nd evacuation to Damascus, regretted leaving, but said had Kyria for those who wanted to i uit the war-ravaged COllnf ut were forced to t Jnvoy plans after the iberation Organizatio ie warring faction iuntryj couldnot guara Many WIQWSTG xssage. ,WE Cgpmyvf tg W, M As a result, Plan II ,tmp 1-gg JC-KE W 1 'feet which called fo 4:53 'WE-g,4ggjAf1C.i:p . 'acuation similar to Tggnfmgyf AUD ith Sealift which jpg K1N19l4fE5S ithout a hitch. ,meme D 79 On the day of the CUHOMDU W9 e USS Coronado, a 16 from nphibious transport xth Fleet, dropped a veral miles from the ore. Meanwhile, in Beirut evac 4' sembled at the Riviera oslem-held West Beirut. 'I re taken to the Bain ack by bus under the es of Palestine Libera lganization QPLOJ esco ghting in the city had those members of p I n the Armed Forces who have The evacuation provided safe passage for American civilians N l Cd, and If WHS 21. Safe JOUYUCY- contributed to the success of his As the buses arrived, the USS U nr' xL,, - .. ,. . . . , .',' , - 1 - .-.A :-f-g : '----f I -':-..v... - V- 5731 --'. sflJ 53 .'1j'f.,i. .-. - ' . . dispatched a LGU'

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