Forrest Royal (DD 872) - Naval Cruise Book

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DAKAR, SENEGAL The first stop after Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico and a long voyage across the Atlantic, was to be Dakar, Senegal one of the major ports of Western Africa. Here we found a modern city which came as quite a surprise since most of us were expecting to see a country in the early stages of development. Many of us were able to take tours of the city and saw firsthand how the predominantly Moslem population lived. The soccer team met their first taste of the foreign competition that faced them in practically every port. Our team lost the con- test but some valuable experience was gained for they were able to beat the team from the USS LAWE 5 to 2 the following day. xfc—jrwfci nyS iiw- %::% r J J. ■ ' ? I

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PORTS OF CALL As we were to find out, our many port visits were going to follow a basic pattern. At each stop there would be calls exchanged shortly after arrival by the Commodore, Captain and some of the local dignitaries. Sideboys and Honor Guard were usually paraded and they responded with brilliant performances. Social activities frequently included a buffet dinner aboard the FORREST ROYAL on the torpedo deck with the ship ' s combo pro- viding entertainment. The local American Embassy or a leading local government official usually hosted a cocktail party for the officers at each port and our combo often was called upon to per- form at these functions. Numerous athletic contests including soccer, water polo, soft- ball, basketball, swimming, track and field, volleyball and chess were often scheduled to provide some clean competition with the various countries. Although we frequently came out on the losing end, our efforts were towards victory and our participation in these various contests did much toward fulfilling the primary mission of spreading goodwill. The following pages illustrate some of the scenes in the various ports with the particular highlights of certain visits noted. In most countries the populace was quite courteous and hos- pitable which made each visit meaningful. The ports are presented in the order of call.

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28 NOVEMBER 1969---POLLYWOG REBELLION One of the oldest traditions in the navy is the lengthy initiation ceremony held each time a ship crosses the equator. FORREST ROYAL crossed at 00° ■ 00 ' latitude and 00° - 00 ' longitude (the Greenwich Meridian) at 0346 Z, 29 November 1969, enroute from Dakar to Luanda, Angola. Crossing at this point gave all of us the rare claim to the title of Golden Shellback . As is customary the day previous to the crossing, the pollywogs banned together in a rebellion against the shellbacks. Since there were 203 pollyv ogs as compared to 43 shellbacks, the revolt occurred with- out much difficulty. The pollywog victory was short- lived and was mild in comparison to the well-planned torture devised by the shellbacks for the followmg da y Naturally the major leaders of the pollywog revolution were given extra punishment for their heinious crimes by the impartial court of King Neptune (alias Commo- dore Bayly). T L 26