Lawrence (DDG 4) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 4 text:

'iv 1- .4111 5'-,-y ,,1,,LuAA.kh :V- U .E KI F lr ll 1 1 :I 3 ! X r 4 4 'w 1

Page 3 text:

wnmmhwevwvnwwzxwiwwwiwwflfiwf

Page 5 text:

IDEAST CRUISE L OCTOBER 1983 - 2 APRIL 1984 USS LAWRENCE de arted Norf lk V' ' ' S . p u o , rrginra on 30 eptember 1983 enroute to the Persian Gulf. The transit across the Atlantic took ten days, including a brief stop for fuel at Ponta Delgada in the Azores. LAWRENCE and her consort USS NICHOLSON were fortunate in encountering fair weather during their ocean crossing. After a brief stop at Rota, Spain to refuel, load mail and inchop into the Sixth Fleet, LAWRENCE entered the Mediterranean through the Straits of Gibraltar. She arrived four days later at Port Said at the northern end of the Suez Canal. The Suez transit took nearly 18 hours. It began late at night on October 14 and ended at Port Suez at the entrance to the Red Sea the following day. After four days in the Red Sea LAWRENCE stopped at Djibouti on the Horn of Afr' f f l d h . i , , ica, or ue an t en transitted the Arabian Sea, entering the Persian Gulf on 21 October and relieving USS THOMAS C. HART on 24 October. LAWRENCE spent the next four months as a unit of the Mideast Force during a period of steadily increasin tensions due to the Irani-Iraqi war and the civil war in Lebanon Iran threatened to close the Straits of Hormuz if th g ' h I , . . - e war wit raq went agalinstlher. Lateril angered ohvler U.S. bombing raids against Shi'ite factions in Lebanon, Iran threatened to launch suicide air I1 tt a sur ace a ac s against ideast Force ships. On board LAWRENCE the already high state of readiness was increased to fail wartime peak as, despite Iranian threats, LAWRENCE continued her patrols in the Central Persian Gulf and the Straits of ormuz. Although most of the time in the Mideast F , Y port visits. ' orce was spent on patrol the ship's company did get a few well earned libert lr1LNovembEr IEAXVRENCE and the Mideast Force flagship, USS LASALLE spent three days in the United Arab Emirates e warrnt o t e reception made Dubai a truly memorable port V1S1t. Several members of the British and American communities invited crewmembers over for a home-cooked meal. In early December LAWRENCE spent ten days in Bahrain for an upkeep period. The inport period gave LAWRENCE crewmen 'a chance to do some shopping and sightseeing in Bahrain's famous Gold Suq fMarketJ. Christmas and New Year's were spent at sea, but the holiday season was brightened by the large number of letters and care packages from home. A special surprise were the murals drawn by crewmember's children during the LAWRENCE Wives Support Group Christmas Party and by school children from Port Jefferson, N.Y. where LAWRENCE had spent a memorable 4th of July port visit the summer before. The murals were hung on the Enlisted Dining Facility where they brightened everyone's mood. Another big surprise were the gifts presented to the crewmembers by the citizens of Falkville, Alabama. Mrs. Nancy Blevins of Falkville adopted the ship for Christmas and made arrangements to collect and forward presents to all hands. I Most of January was spent on patrol either in the Persian Gulf or outside the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman. There was a brief three day inport period in Bahrain. That port visit was highlighted by a highly successful Middle East Force Inspection of LAWRENCE'S Ship's Self-Defense force and an exchange of visits, both formal and informal, with HMS GLAMORGAN, a British destroyer visiting Bahrain. In late January LAWRENCE left the Gulf, transiting the Arabian Sea to Karachi, Pakistan, where she spent four days in early February. Although the night life and social activities in Karachi were severely limited, it proved to be a bargain- hunter's paradise. Many crewmembers found excellent buys in onyx, brass, leather, rugs and brass-inlaid wood items. A crewmember without a well-tailored leather jacket was an exception by the end of the Karachi port visit. February passed quickly while LAWRENCE patrolled the Central Persian Gulf. The final days of February saw LAW- RENCE transiting the Straits of Hormuz for the last time on her way to Djibouti to turnover with her relief USS BOONE. The turnover with BOONE took place on 9 March 1984. LAWRENCE then proceeded north through the Red Sea, transiting the Suez Canal on 12 March. A three day transit brought LAWRENCE to Palma de Mallorca, where the crew enjoyed an excellent three-day port visit to one of the top resort spots in the Mediterranean. A day after leaving Palma de .Mallorca, LAWRENCE transited the Straits of Gibraltar. After a short stop at Rota, Spain to refuel and outchop from the Sixth Fleet, she headed west across the Atlantic on her way home. The good weather encountered in the first days of the transit soon deteriorated. By the time LAWRENCE reached Bermuda, she was encountering the high winds and heavy seas brought on by a series of winter storms. The guided missile destroyer refueled in Bermuda and then headed for Norfolk through heavy seas. USS LAWRENCE arrived home after a six month cruise on the morning of April 198f1. On Elffjpief Fefe fimililii 'Hd friends eagerly waiting to greet their loved ones. It was a joyous and emotional reunion, a itting c rmax o g y successful deployment. B