Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book

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The ship had aiuhoied in the entrance of the Bos|)i)ion ,, the 17-niile long strait ol water which separates the two parts of; Turkey and joins the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea. Hardly had yoii anchored before the bum boats had come out to take a look. ou also took a look over the port side and yoiu ' ie v •as dominated by th2 Dobnnbachr Palnic. This beautiful stnuiuie is one of the royal residences whiih adorn l:)oth shores of ilie ilos- porf)us. Later, when ytyi were inxiletl I»| lj)iir ihe eililid . vnu loiuul .1 mixed architeclSu-al style ancl ' int ' Pit cl cofayVn (.1 por- phry, crystal, and othe||such precious materia Crossing the Golden |-Iorn by way of the J |I fe- Bi iTlgp you were in the district knowli lodav as Istanbiij whicTiconsiituted in the old days the vital core out of which the city grew. It is here nu found the ' old iiioiiunifnls—Byzniitine, Otioindu-pdl- aces. ki ishs, cimrclies and ini sques. The Mosque of Sultan Ahmet, or Blue Mosque as it is better known, you fpuiid to be the most beautiful. It is the only one in the world Vf minarets. Constructed between KiOO and 1616 it is a nTCTslei ece of Turkish architecture. The ad- jecti-.e blue comes from the priceless, colored tilework that adorns the interior. Yo.u ' d shown your respect by removing your shoes before eiUerhiffj Lhl mosque and hearing the strange re- ligious chants. ||us f)ii ' t this beautiful mosque you found the Fountain ofSttltan Ahitiet, built in 1712. This graceful foiui- tain is one of the Jasi, specimens of the Turkish |ococo st le. ' ' m caught gliii the Mosque of Suleima the M.ignifi- cent, ihe Hippodt lfr f Museum of Tuikish antfl ' Isl uiiic Vrt. Then QU)}ft; m the Comi|iei(ii1 ii i of tlie oM lrh The street endois hid evcilv waje ' uul nou ve e the Vi k with mone to buy the copp£|i bi jdiid ij ' ir l ' J tV«Wil l mg the capitd | ri« cntei of c ominMAl lflc ol le OtHmiarrl mpire has been equipped i uli t pic djWiVija il uj a - ' f T cjiflM 1 us. One ol tipn is tl C.i md 11 i rf! G(pisisr||Liii )vei 30(5(1 shops clusteied Mflp niMc uid iiaiicf ' t cW |»4fig ,ifie iT )ussion of a hbyimtll Hie ' ' }i ' I Viyh.t-| Ci, i ' iKi ii!lW,iifa 2. meic mtile potpouin of L d() cu ijj 4i e chTrs ' Ssll ;gii|l n su- - ' ' - ' - x ' l(i i ' - ' ' ' ■ KMUtl ul.tjjrg- l K d IS titS,V.( |til,f % spected loi t|ie ini i bargains oiicl This () 1; consti Lic ked Empt iiiK o later aiKL as f The edi,fice vfas con „ after the - COAquest of l ' ?»fflH ' % fil ' % WiP and Vis m ide a public museum when Turkey became a republic. The Santa Sophia is remarkable for its harmony of structure, exquisite dec- orations, and splendid mural mosaics representing Christ, the Virgin Mary, Justinian, Constantine and others. When you sailed back down through the Dardenelles xou left Istanbul and its mosques behind but you kept with you the memories of the mysterious city xvhere East meets AV ' est. pOt W ' '

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During tliis deployment to the Mediterranean the MACON served as flagship for Commander Cruiser Di- vision TWO, Rear Admiral Laivson P. Ramagc. He was assisted by a staff of nine officers and 47 enlisted men. The roles of the Cruiser Division Commander in the Sixth Fleet are many and varied. One of the most im- portant is Chairman of tlie Sixth Fleet Air Defense Committee, charged with providing leadership in de- veloping better Air Defense tactics and techniques, a most challenging job in this age of supersonic aircraft and guided missiles. In connection with fleet Air De- fense, great emphasis was placed on Electronic Counter- measiues. COMCRVDIV TWO was also concerned with surface and sub-surface operations as well as Air Defense. Acting as a surface raider, COMCRUDIV TWO commanded units of destroyers and the MACON and conducted sim- ulated attacks on attack carrier striking groups. As Of- ficer in Tactical Command, he commanded a fast at- tack carrier striking group. Again serving as Officer in Tactical Command he conducted several large scale fleet replenishments, during which the Sixth Fleet proved that it can remain at sea for an indefinite period of time, independent ot Mediterranean land bases and ports. The (.luticb ol the Cruiser Division Commander were not entirely seagoing, however. Each time the MACON entered a liberty port COMCRUDIV TWO was the Senior Officer Present Afloat (SOPA). As SOPA, he assumed such administrative tasks as regidating uniforms, liberty and shore patrol. Whenever other USN ships were in the same port COMCRUDIV TWO conducted personnel and material inspections to see that required standards were being maintained. Exchanges of official visits with senior nn ' litary and government officials were made in each port and COM- CRUDIV TWO with the MACON officers often served as hosts at luncheons, dinners, and receptions, thus im- plementing the People to People i rogram. Many new friends were made in addition to renewing old acquaint- ances. Upon departure from the Mediterranean COMCRU- DIV TWO and the MACON can look back upon an eventful six months deployment during which time they helped to strengthen the peace of the world.