Denver (LPD 9) - Naval Cruise Book

Text from Pages 1 - 104 of the 1975 volume:

- uss DENVER (LPD 9) CRUISE BOOK March 28, 1975-November 16, 1975 mm w. r fa vn .= -« DENVER ' S 1975 On the 88th of March 1975, USS DENVER departed her home port of San Diege for a seven and one- half month deployment in the Western Pacific as a unit of Task Force 76. Deploying with her were USS MOBILE, USS ANCHORAGE, USS MOUNT VERNON, USS DULUTH, USS BARBOUR COUNTY, USS I TUSCALOOSA, all units of Amphibious Squadron FIVE I of which DENVER is flagship. • At Pearl Harbor the Squadron staff shifted to USS DULUTH and the Commodore flew ahead to WestPac for r ji)riefing on the worsening situation in South Vietnai DENVER then departed Hawaii and proceeded i idependently toward Okinawa at best speed in order to ffload the enormous load of Marine Corps vehicles carried aboard. The Engineering Department received many Well Dones for their efforts in keeping the ship at full speed for eleven straight days. During the transit we heard of the fall of Cambodia and the impending disaster in Vietnam, along with many rumors as to our eventual destination. Upon arrival off Okinawa, the Deck Depa: swung into action on the night of 17 April accomplishing the offload of vehicle cargo and onloaded Battalion Lan- ding Team (BLT) 3 9 in 26 hours of continuous hard work. The ship got under way at midnight on the 18th of April for a holding area off Vung Tao, South Vietnam. On the way plans were made and facilities set up for the possibility of handling many thousands of refugees. On Miii the 22nd of April DENVER moved into an area within sight of Vung Tao and assumed her position amongst some 48 other ships of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. On the 29th of April DENVER became one of the first ships to receive South Vietnamese refugees asi Huey helicopters began arriving onboard. At one time there were some seven helicopters on our flight ded which was designed for no more than three at one time. In order to make room for more helos, seven had to be jet- tisoned over the stern. During all this confusion the ships special organization for handling refugees was called into.jl jj action and the orderly pro gression began as our new ' charges were directed to the well deck for temporary shelter.|J||j|||Mf| ' DuiSttgr ' tne ' nexf Several days the ship pWfcesil some 7,500 Vietnamese through the well deck, into our waiting Assault Craft Unit One landing craft and shuttles to waiting Military Sealift Command ships. The hours became incredibly long as Marine helos came aboard with load after load of destitute refugees, yet the crew of DENVER again proved that the ship ' s fine reputation was no myth as more than were needed voluntarily stayed on the job moving and feeding the thousands of refugees. These last refugees were Eill taken in by boats of the Amphibious ships and some landing crafts that were|| salvaged and manned by DENVER ' S crew. In the end the MSC shipping was all filled and the warships started tak- w PAC DEPLOYMENT lltUilUl! 1 Ljfing on refugees for transport to Subic Bay Phillipines. DENVER ' S share came to over 500 people who were bedded down under a tent city erected on the flight deck |amidst salvaged helicopters. UJLjjlAt ly lfew days in Subic the ship got underway for bkfiid ai: ' riving at White Beach on the 12th of May. 5 The next morning DENVER got underway on short notice in response to the Mayaguez Incident but word was received on the 85th to head back to Okinawa when the f Mayaguez was recovered. The rest of the month of May and June saw i DENVER support the Marine Corps with routine transits I from White Beach to Numazu at the foot of Mount Fuji in ;, Japan and a side trip to Pusan, Korea, where we all en- Ijoyed good liberty and shopping at low prices. July proved another busy month as DENVER took MOBILE under tow when that ship had a major engineering breakdown. That evolution and some ex- tremely rough surf off Numazu caused the loss of several days in our already tight schedule. Those days were made up in a record breaking switch of BLT ' s in Okinawa as DENVER conducted the unprecedented simultaneous . onload of one BLT while offloading another. The ship then ' went to Yokosuka, Japan, fopeiuch needed repairs arriv- fing 18 July. 911 The ship next got underway for Pohang, South M , Korea to put out Marines ashore for training prior to a landing exercise in August. During transit DENVER ex- ' - ' pptiiyM H i perienced a rather major fire in the after engine room which was finally brought under control only because of the heroic efforts of the engineering department per- sonnel involved in fighting it. After picking up Marines in Pohang, DENVER and other ships of Amphibious Ready Group BRAVO con- ducted a joint landing with Korean forces near Pohang encountering some extremely rough weather and surf conditions. Afterwards DENVER visited Inchon, Korea, on the Yellow Sea 28 August to 3 September. The ship arrived back at White Beach on 10 September after put- ting BLT 8 9 ashore at Numazu. When next underway on 17 September DENVER was enroute for a port visit to Hong Kong and thence to Subic Bay. While in Hong Kong the ship was required to get underway to avoid Typhoon Alice. On 89 October DENVER departed Okinawa for Home. On 18 November DENVER got underway from Pearl Harbor for San Diego with Commander Amphibious Squadron FIVE aboard in company with the rest of the squadron. DENVER arrived in San Diego on 16 November 1975 after seven and one-half months of a cruise which was highlighted by some of the most memorable moments in the lives of her crew anci thousands whose lives touched on the DENVER Doer| Best Ar m ,i the Fleet iif t i ' THE SKIPPER LETTER FROM THE COMMANDING OFFICER The following pages present a portion of the history of our ship and a part of our lives. In leafing through them in years to come all of us will recall times of boredom, times of action, long hours of work and periods of dispair, but each of us will take pride in having been a part of it. Men of the sea know their ship as they know a friend. They can pick her from a group, they know her sounds, her smells, her motions and her moods. They worry when she acts strangely, jump to help when she falters, curse her and praise her, preen her, brag of her and defend her. She has a personality all her own, one that ' s given her by her crew and one that reflects the aggregate personality of that crew. These pages hold the personality of our crew and our ship. Our pride in showing her off to visitors, compassion displayed in our mission of mercy off Vietnam, our concern for damage to her and our routine daily life in her, are all shown here. Each of us had a part in making DENVER a great ship, and great she is. Long hard steaming, continuous day and night loading or off loading, rushing to make up lost time, and rapid repair of casualties all made it possible for us to boast We never missed a commitment. Never will DENVER stand taller than she has during this period. It has been my good fortune to have been part of her crew. I am extremely proud to be counted among Denver ' s Sallors, and to have had a part in her history. H. T. JENKINS, JR. TABLE CONTENTS m W ' ' -W- NJ t, ' ' CAPTAIN EXECUTIVE OFFICERS . CTF 76 DECK POEM EVACUATION AIR MEDICAL HONG KONG ENGINEERING SUPPLY CHANGE OF COMMAND NAVIGATION COMMUNICATIONS LIBERTY CALL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE CANDID POEM EMBARKED MARINES . . CANDID TRAVELOGUE CRUISE BOOK STAFF . . CAPTAIN DONALD S. JONES 10 PRESENT COMMANDING OFFICER Captain Donald S. Jones entered the Navy as an ' Aviator Cadet in 1951, was commissioned Ensign, USNR, and designated as Naval Aviator, in February 1953. Initial tours as a test pilot and project officer with Air Development Squadron ONE (VXl) and fleet assign- ment in Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron ONE and FIVE provided early participation in the tactical use of helicopters in ASW. After being appointed as Lieutenant (junior grade), USN he was assigned to the Naval Post Graduate School, General Line Course. In 1959, he attended the Naval Intelligence School and was subsequently assigned as Executive Assistant to the J-2, and Intelligence Briefing Officer on the Taiwan Defense Command Staff. Returning to the fleet as Operations Officer for HS-5, he was project officer for the initial tests involving the development of ASW Helicopters in a CV environment aboard the USS INDEPENDENCE. In November 1967, after a tour in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Strategic Plans Division, Cap- tain Jones reported to HS-4 as Executive Officer. Following a Vietnam deployment aboard USS YORKTOWN, he assumed command of HS-4 and was assigned to CVSG59 in USS HORNET. During this period HS-4 was designated as recovery squadron for the first Apollo mission and worked with NASA developing special helicopter operating procedures in support of the lunar program. In 1970, he completed another Vietnam deployment while Air Officer on USS TRIPOLI (LPH- 10). Renewing his fixed wing carrier qualifications he assumed command of Carrier Anti-Submarine Air Group 53 and after completing predeployment training departed for the Western Pacific, this time aboard the USS TICONDEROGA. Returning to Washington, he attended the In- dustrial College of the Armed Forces, and September 1973 reported as Head of Operations Department, Naval InteUigence Command. He became Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence in March of 1974. Captain Jones holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin and a Masters of Arts Degree from George Washington University. He has been awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Gold Star. On September 11, 1975 Captain Jones relieved Captain Harry T. Jenkins as Commanding Officer USS DENVER. Captain Jones is married to the former Marilyn Turner and resides with his wife and four children in Bonita, California. 11 EXECUTIVE I COMMANDER JEFFERSON R. DENNIS, JR., USN Commander DENNIS graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1957. His sea duty assignments in- clude tours aboard USS NORFOLK (DL-1), USS GALLANT (MSO-489), USS KING (DLG-10) and Staff Commander Destroyer Squadron Six. He assumed duty as Commanding Officer USS MONTICELLO (LDS-35) after having served twenty-seven months as Executive Officer USS DENVER (LPD-9). Shore duty assignments include U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, NAVORDSYSCOMM, CINCPAC Staff and Naval Ad- visory Unit, Danang, RVN. Commander DENNIS was born in San Diego, California and considers San Diego his home. He and Mrs. Dennis, the former Judith Ahl from Carmel Valley, California, reside with their two children, Allison and Michael, in Coronado, California. OFFICERS COMMANDER CARL E. LAMBACH, USN Commander LAMBACH entered the Navy in 1952. He served until 1961 as an Aerographer ' s Mate and was commissioned as a line Ensign in March of that year by way of OCS and the Integration Program. He has served as Gunnery Officer of USS ALAMO (LSD-33), Operations Officer on USS COMSTOCK (LSD- 19), Assistance Operations Officer for CONPHIBRON FIVE, Scheduling Officer for COMSERVGRU ONE, Port Ser- vices Officer at NAVSTA Norfolk, Chief Staff Officer for COMSERVRON NINE, and Operations Officer for DECOMOPTEVFORPAC. Commander LAMBACH was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but because of frequent tours of duty in the San Diego area now calls San Diego home. He and Mrs. LAMBACH, the former Glenda Williams Dyess, of Arkansas, reside with their five children, ages 12 to 19, in El Cajon, California. 13 RADM DONALD B. WHITMIRE. USN COMMANDER TASK FORCE 76 BRAVO ZULU As the good ship DENVER steams toward CONUS I am gratified to reflect upon the outstanding support you provided to me and the staff. The moments were many but DENVER never faltered. From the moment DENVER reported for duty she provided capabilities in the crucial evacuation operation in Vietnam. DENVER continued to work hard as the flagship and as the leader of ARG BRAVO during such impressive accomplishments as BLTEX 1-76 off Korea. Other evolutions were equally im- pressive. DENVER leaves WESTPAC with a proud record of achievements. I wish to express my deep personal appreciation for the professional spirit, progressive attitudes and ex- cellent support of my staff by each officer and crew member aboard DENVER. I am proud to have had you as my flagship and wish you the best of luck in all future un- dertakings. May calm winds and following seas dominate your voyage home to a joyful reunion with families and friends. Well done and keep charging. 15 I I Manned and ready from station one Sure, we pulled the MOBILE over all by ourselves 18 V 19 J m I k 22 X The armory gang GMG3 Leslie, GMGSN Hernandez GMG2 Krisen B8 Here is the DENVER one of the ships. Comprising the mighty task force seven six. Some members of the crew are about the bow, as the entire task force maneuvers off Vung Tau. We are ballasting down and the mike — eights are kicked out, and the off duty crew are swimming with a shout. We are made up of gators, tin cans and a bunch, a few carriers and a cruiser to give us some punch 24 Embarked in our ship is COMPHIBRON seven, who ' s really not due here till after October eleven. Also embarked is Battalion three nine, who after living with us think we have it just fine. We eat well and sleep well and get lots of rest, with knowledge and feelings we are sur- rounded by the best. Let you people ashore not put us to rest, for should you attempt we ' ll put you to rest. As a poet I ' m new and know not what to say, except let us bow, and to God let us pray. EWCS TESONE 26 EVACUATION LTJG MacArthur checking Vietnamese in boats in well deck. Vietnamese brouglit to sea in barges 26 27 28 I 89 AIR f , 81 i The mail drop If I don ' t look maybe he ' l leave. 33 ' ' ■■ ■ ■ . - .WJil , , , ,g gjglj 34 i ' i ' K as ■ t ' , |: ;:crv ;i?.?!«: 1 37 k 1 V K . Vi ■4i mil HONG | w=ir|p;; ' ij ' til « «lt | ■ .. -,,.-; =1 1T Bt It -I ' J ,,, Fi imm i ' ' - l l H 1 H — «. , ! H • ' ■■ ' 1 1 H 1 1 i 1 i - ■ 1 1 1 1 M. tl- A F 1 m NaT-- -1 ' ;i ft 1 JB «jfe l 1 1 — 1— — -■ KONG That ' s right we ' re pa,rt Indian 43 46 4 4 4 4 .TUW 48 E.M H aM| H H HMHM| K ' . T j m B E M B HSi ' ' 1 w L gi 1 IS wtLI i W ' ►V • - ■ -. _ 1 w i - 1 1 1 1 fU B W4 1 H ; H 9 J 50 e.HG If the quarterback stops me this time SUPPLY 63 54 I, ' } 56 The Commanding Officer USS Denver LPD-9 requests the pleasure of your company at the Change of Command Ceremony at which Captain Harry T. Jenkins, Jr., USN will be relieved by Captain Donald S. Jones, USN Thursday, the eleventh of September at ten o ' clock on board USS Denver LPD-9 White Beach, Duckner Bay, Okinawa, Japan Reception to follow: Comnissioned Officers Mess White Beach, Okinawa Uniform: Tropical White Long or Appropriate Civilian Attire 58 B9 61 ■ 4. Kf ' ' ' mV SBu 6S 63 COMMUNICATIONS 65 66 JmU. 67 68 69 RADIO 4 V KTWggfS V  • . i.  ' ■ M OPE RATI r FS , ' v - 76 OIPS 76 77 H E B ' ' 1 y V  3 t ||Vv 1( i i n ■ ■■M n J l EXECUTIVE ■■■ ■ Kicrf j y - 81 88 84 88 CANDID Give me a little kiss 36 the sun rises odius breathes my name is odius a seafarin ' lad i m ready for sea and i°m willing to sail for a sea worthy man I ' m planning to be so gather me gather me come gather me please my captains my comrad as most sailors are be it weather calm or be it wild for tlie journey ' s none too far a trip never to end so gather me gather me conu ' gather me friend every h;ii-b(ir my haven and every tavern my own for i ' ve witnessed the orient frdin suliic to scmil yet never to see nough so gather me athci- nic love america is waitiiifi i lon - for her shore yet all i can set- is horizon and more but i still have those memories stowed safely away just eager for our returning day so gather me gather me come gather me home - my name is odius a seafarin man the salt on my breath is now many years old and the dream i ' ve fulfilled will never be sold for the dreams that i ' ve had you can ' t near afford so gather me gather me come gather me lord. the sun sets -. -r, odius loaves. ABF3 DENNISON EMBARKED MARINES 7l Ipp w LJr m to CANDID 92 tiif 93 VIUNC70LIA A: ffm{ or- ♦1 I R Trr • • ' ivXv:-:-:-: ' : ' :-: : ' :-:::!; l iii: xjxjvivxIrlijxjxjiN 55 x vXNwXjCJXvt j. ' vSy ' •lllili CHINA HONG KONG ■ !MOSAx::: J HlVINANi THAILANI Sai mmm : - ■ .: TRAVELOGUE 28 March 4 April 7 April 17 April 19 April 22 April 2 May 4 May 10 May 12 May 13 May 18 May 19 May 20 May 21 May 14 June 20 June 24 June 26 June 28 June 8 July 1 1 July 16 July 18 July 29 July 1 August 3 August 19 August 20 August 26 August 28 August 2 September 5 September 7 September 17 September 20 September 25 September 27 September 7 October 18 October 29 October 8 November 10 November 16 November Depart San Diego Arrive Pearl Harbor Depart Pearl Harbor Arrive Okinawa Depart Okinawa Arrive Vietnam Depart Vietnam Arrive Subic Depart Subic Arrive Okinawa Depart Okinawa Arrive Okinawa Depart Okinawa Arrive Depart Numazu Arrive Okinawa Depart Okinawa Arrive Pusan Korea Depart Pusan Korea Arrive Depart Numazu Arrive Okinawa Depart Okinawa Arrive Numazu Depart Numazu Arrive Yokosuka Depart Yokosuka Arrive Depart Pohang Korea Arrive Sasebo Japan Depart Sasebo Japan Arrive Pohang Korea Depart Pohang Korea Arrive Inchon Korea Depart Inchon Korea Arrive Depart Numazu Arrive Okinawa Depart Okinawa Arrive Hong Kong Depart Hong Kong Arrive Subic Depart Subic Arrive Okinawa Depart Okinawa Arrive Pearl Harbor Depart Pearl Harbor Arrive San Diego 95 CRUISE BOOK STAFF EDITOR ENS HOWE LAYOUT AND COPY SN ERICKSON PHOTOGRAPHY ENS HOWE, OSS OWENS WALSWORTH REPRESENTATIVE GLENN MILLER Our thanks to all members of the crew who sub- mitted photographs for publication providing thorough coverage of the events and activities that took place during the 1975 WESTPAC. We also wish to express special thanks to Marty whose knowledge and inspiration helped to make this book possible. 96 WALSWORTH PUBLISHING COMPANY m Cruise Book Sales Offices 4438 Ingraham Street-Suite 206 I San Diego, California 92109