Leyte (CV 32) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 52 text:

Bumboats Here, Too Vice-Adm. Ballentine inspects guard. AUGUSTA, SICILY UPON departure from Palermo, we began to make preparations in earnest for our Christmas stay in Naples. To do this, we went to the Italian naval base city of Augusta on the eastern coast of Sicily. Liberty was restricted to fif- teen per cent because the town of Au- gusta simply could not handle large liberty parties. There were four taxis in town and five restaurants. However, there was an unlimited supply of car- rozzos and the nearby towns of Syra- cuse and Catania provided additional diversions. Some of us had our wives come over— Mrs. Erdmann visits the Greek Theatre.

Page 51 text:

THE CATACOMBS-WELL, DRY MY HIDE! NOT in use, thank goodness, since 1881, the Capuchin Catacombs had all the beauty of a Dab ' painting. But its spooky air drew many men to these underground corridors of the dead, in spite of some 80,000 mummified bodies strewn about. It was fascinating to see, but b-r-r! even better to climb out into that bright sunshine again. Mum - mies the word Looks like the LEYTE ' S ehowline, don ' t it? MONREALE-A WELCOME CHANGE rpHE bright mosaics and murals looked even more • - gorgeous after leaving the caves of death. A xMoorish fountain and beautiful cloisters added even more to the attraction of this ageless cathedral. Buried within are the bodies of old Norman kings, William the Good and William the Bad. We never found out what happened to William the Medium. Monreales altar— bright and beautiful Looking into the court yard of the cloisters of Monreale at the Fountain of Youth

Page 53 text:

Syracuse was only an hour away by train and the early Greek ruins there were visited by quite a number of LEYTE personnel. It was in Syracuse that Archimedes is reputed to have dis- covered the law of buoyancy and to have exclaimed, Eureka, I have found it! Nearby Catania provided excellent shopping but not too many people could make the trip there. Snow-capped Mt. Etna was clearly visible in the distance but was a little too far away for a visit. For some of us, beer parties and softball games ashore were arranged, but for the Gunnery and Air Depart- ments there was a steady diet of work in preparation for the Naples visit. The ship was painted inside and out and scrubbed until she sparkled. In addi- tion, we took on 225 tons of stores to re- plenish the larder. On the 19th of December we weighed anchor and set sail northward through the Straits of Messina, past Stromboli, and up to see Cameo Joe. Capt. Kapsch cuts cake on 21,000th landing Food, at last! Money to burn, but no place to burn it