Des Moines (CA 134) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE SHIP lies at anchor in the harbor. Her colossal gray hull apB— JM IEtter into a staggerec superstructural edifjce resembling a series of ancient and p cffttfeitfus j|| gn tli s. Her gun si ingred fo-r:.. ward the skiQ jj |ju|jjuj iha sunlight. J ripiti l|ftr )im high sta pBJiHrtCT t fillti of smoke. ..She is ggg long and si t i t f UtKH GSSSfSfl nd tfa ese gg tfBtfi ' lli ne proud lines enhanced by the wizard ' genius of radars, guns, fire contCg Mn B Her bridge with its slit of glass is like the visor of some medieval helmet. Apropo, ' TBrslieTs a warrior...lIer crew scrambles about the deck preparing to get underway. With a rending grind and clank through the hawsepipes, fathoms of anchor chain are hauled to the windlass. Faces peer from the foc ' sle to catch ' first glimpse of anchor tearing out of mud and silt and rising from the depths. The Bos ' un raises liis hand insignal more, salute than signal actually— and a shrilly certain trumpet blast dominates the scene, echoing out across harbor and hill... Anchor is up ...anclior ' s away! The jack tumbles down to deck. The ensign plummets from its flagstaff and then is hoisted high to the peak where it unfurls smartly in stack gas and breeze, a vivid cloth of red and white and blue • j» - -fe -

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e S€ltC€UC the Grand Canal, the DES MOINES is an incongruous nautical giant beside the gondolas and piazzas of Venice, Italy.

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owTTie shJfi jgy ' WgS gtw nfl wifirTl i Tffi ilely gIov L.gra c4 ) fu III erg s whU her turbines gatlier wind and fire and drive, lljr screws turn, length an d b re atifeafe s hap- feels their agitated pound. The ship seems to IJ x t sTTate as if pondering some- t SIQpB which demands careful appraisal. And then- she becomes truly underway, gai»mg pee3 anff fierce momentum. ..A thin-plumed fanspray leaps from bow at water ' s edge. From either side of her stem a rivelet spreads into a wake, widening, bright with ' :|;:;S:§unflecked white water. Shereleases apitch and track deep within her innards, f«r alMier force of thun- ' der will no longer be denie(i....Out of the confines of harbor and seaward, with her turbines delivering their giants ' thrust into the hands of seastyled men who shape their destinies from w ind and wave. Now her shuddering is eager vibration, a tempo seafarers know and love. She leaves the shoreline haughtily and passes with speed of dragons, pointing horizonward... The sea is her habitat and purpose. This is i|- hy she was welded and fitted with men and machinery deep in her brooding, ironclad soul... And so, describing a great listing turn, the hiss of cleavage of water loud to the ear, she cuts her arc, creating that broad pavement which is wake. Showing her stern, one sees above that boiling churn and fume isand Spill of water, the brazeh letters which form her christened title: DES 10I ES