Leyte (CV 32) - Naval Cruise Book

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some preferred beer to ouzo everything was SO lovely CPO ' s could drink beer, too A i ££9 -v. n .Norfolk r ib. CRAW8Y tt i - - l- ' fc. if,

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ARGOSTOLI 22-24 OCTOBER K 7E OPERATED at sea for several days and on 22 October, arrived at the port of Argostoli, Greece. Located on the island of Cephalonia and possessing one of the best pro- tected anchorages in the Mediterranean, Argos- toli had once been a beautiful resort town with a considerable historical background. However, the ravages of war had left many marks, and the many bullet holes in the walls attested to the reality of the fighting still going on not far away. As Argostoli is not exactly a huge metropolis, liberty was restricted to small percentages, aug- mented by athletic parties and hiking groups. There wasn ' t too much do to except a chance to stretch our legs, get some exercise, and drink shrubs and statues survived some beer at the clubs the Sixth Task Fleet had set up for officers and men. It was at Argostoli that we made our first acquaintance with the ever present Greek dolls, and with German occupation money and stamps. Here also we met Ouzo for the first time and found it as powerful as advertised. All in all, Argostoli was not a stellar liberty spot but the opportunity to relax ashore in the sun in the pleasant town square was good after a long period aboard ship, and those who got ashore enjoyed it. We looked forward, how- ever, to our visits to Cyprus and Athens, and on the 24th left for those ports. all kids love photographers

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FAMAGUSTA, CYPRUS-OCTOBER 29-31 ON OCTOBER 29, we stopped at Famagusta for the weekend. Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean, was the third British colony visited by the LEYTE. The island was origi- nally settled by the Phoenicians, then ruled in turn by the Greeks, Romans, Moors, various Christian rulers, the Venetians and then the Turks from 1571 to 1918. Turkey lost Cyprus in 1918 as a result of the First World War. Famagusta abounds with historic landmarks and signs of the fierce fighting between the Christians and the Turks during the Middle Ages. [row.frt ' lOsToli T, ' • • To Sy io. The massive city walls— three miles of them The ruins of the ancient city of Salamis, three miles north. Destroyed by the Arabs in 641. The old town with the LEYTE anchored in the bay Ruins of the Venetian Palace. Here General Bragadine was skinned alive by the Turks in 1571 after he came out under the flag of truce.