Kansas City (AOR 3) - Naval Cruise Book

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ANCHORS AWAY The KANSAS CITY arrived in Long Beach last year on Novermber 26th after her first WestPac cruise, and spent five well earned months in Long Beach before departing again last April 14th for her second WestPac cruise. Most of the crew aboard the KANSAS CITY lived in the Long Beach area with their families, but for others it was plane tickets or freeways before they were once again home. Good-byes soon came and on April 14, 1972 the KANSAS CITY shifted colors and headed for the South China Seas once more. Some left their families in Long Beach waiting for them and it was what seemed like a never ending good-bye as the KANSAS CITY had her bow pointed towards the open sea once again! Once she was clear of Long Beach Breakwater, it was to be a record-breaking thirteen days before the KANSAS CITY would once again reach the world of the Philippines and Vietnam.

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Commander Donald A. Hartley Executive Officer Commander HARTLEY was born in Cairo, Illinois and received his college education at Southern Illinois University. On 10 January 1957 Commander HARTLEY was commissioned in the United States Navy. Commander HARTLEY served as Executive Officer on two other ships, the USS FIRM (MSO-444) and the USS LEARY (DD-879), prior to the USS KANSAS CITY. The Executive Officer is the cornerstone of a successful ship. A thankless job adorned with mountains of paper work, the Executive Officer must contend with a vast array of endless problems ranging from the Junior Officer ' s misspelling to delicate problems in Human Relations. Commander HARTLEY has successfully coped with these various situations and the entire crew owes a tribute to these efforts which have maintained the KANSAS CITY as a smoothly functioning ship.

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Thirteen Days of Transit Action and the First of Many New Records t g n