Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book

 - Class of 1959

Page 41 of 230

 

Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book online collection, 1959 Edition, Page 41 of 230
Page 41 of 230



Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book online collection, 1959 Edition, Page 40
Previous Page

Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book online collection, 1959 Edition, Page 42
Next Page

Search for Classmates, Friends, and Family in one
of the Largest Collections of Online Yearbooks!



Your membership with e-Yearbook.com provides these benefits:
  • Instant access to millions of yearbook pictures
  • High-resolution, full color images available online
  • Search, browse, read, and print yearbook pages
  • View college, high school, and military yearbooks
  • Browse our digital annual library spanning centuries
  • Support the schools in our program by subscribing
  • Privacy, as we do not track users or sell information

Page 41 text:

Today ' s Navy can fire all the big and little guns by electricity and it is the business of Fox Division men to operate this electrical equipment. This is what is meant by Fire Control. Fire Controlmen man Sky Plot, Main Battery Plot, the Directors and the Radar Rooms. In Plot the various batteries are set up on the fire control switchboard so that the mounts and turrets are connected to the desired fire control directors. During the Mediterrajiean Cruise the MACOX also carried the Regulus I missile as reserve strength. Our missile was quite a novelty in the Mediterranean for MACON is the only Atlantic Fleet cruiser equipped with an operational Regulus I. The test missile version of Regulus I resembles a conventional swept- wing jet fighter about 30 feet long. It is turbo-jet powered and has the capability of carrying an atomic warhead. Because of the approximate quarter of a million dollar cost of each missile the Navy has developed a highly skilled means of recovering the Regulus I missile. Guided missilemen of G Division handle the whole procedure aboard ship. Right up till firing time the missilemen are making adjustments in the missile ' s control mechanisms to insure a successful mission. In the case of the Regulus, where aircraft are employed for the flight control and recovery, the missile must be completely controllable by the chase aircraft. Long before the missile is readv to fire it is hoisted aboard ship by cranes, placed on a cradle and taken below on an elevator where a small group of experts give it a thorough going over. A scheduled firing will bring it on deck. The jet engine is started. The jet assist take-off (JATO) bottles, one on either side of the missile— blast off leaving a dense white smoke cloud, providing the initial thrust necessary to put the missile in flight; then the turbo-jet takes over. With the missile airborne, chase aircraft assume control and guide the Regulus to its preselected landing site, using their controlling equipment to land the un- manned missile. Once the missile ' s retractable landing gear touches ground, a parachute opens automatically, braking the Regulus to a gentle stop. Since Regulus is a long-range operational missile, used against ship or shore targets, It IS one of the Navy ' s prime surface bombardment weapons and extends the warship ' s range more than ten fold. The helicopter which crowded the fantail during this cruise was MACON ' s own air force. The helo got a real workout both underway and in port. It was used for guard mail runs, transfer of personnel, tracking drills necessary to keep our antiaircraft battery properly aligned, and, most important to the Cruise Book Committee, those important hops for aerial photography of our ports-of-call. Not all of the Gunnery Department ' s work is with guns and missiles. You anchored out in many of the ports visited. This meant that liberty boats were necessary. Under the supervision of the First Lieutenant, the deck divisions kept in top shape four utility boats, two motor whaleboats, the officer ' s motor boat the gig and the barge. There were those long days when high lining was followed by replenishing and replenishing by refueling. Replenishing is usually an all hands evolution but the deck force is up before dawn for the necessary preparations. There is the refueling. This is an intricate evolution which involves almost every deck division. Regular scrubbing and holystoning of the decks, the eternal battle with the rust, and the shining of bright work, chipping and painting from bow to stern, from the waterline to the masthead. This is the deck ioxce-backhor e of the Gunne)-y Department. X CUD E. D. M.,l,k Kire Control Guiiiie Wimhroj). Mas .

Page 40 text:

GUNNERY MACON ' s main battery is composed of three triple gun 8 55 turrets. The thunder of a nine-gun salvo is not often heard, but when it is, the concussion of the hundreds of pounds of poivder ex- jjloding in the 8-inch barrels ivrecks havoc with the loose paint and gear, just as the three hundred pound projectiles wreck havoc with their target. Don t let the Main Battery ' s usual silence make you forget the destructive potential of one of those nine-gun salvos. Anyone who has spotted for one of the turrets knows what an impact one of those pro- jectiles makes when it strikes its target. The record of the 8 inch gun established during World War II and the Koiean Var will not easily be forgotten. The gunners-mates of the First, Second, and Tliird Dixnsions are responsible for the care and upkeep of the turrets. Yes, that ' s a sign of obvious pride you see in the faces of the men in First Di-. ' Ision when their copper mu le hands re- mained secure when Turret I fired. Be- side shore bombardments, the 8-inch can be used as a surface-to-surface : eapon against enemy shipping and in unusual cases it is possible to fire a nine-gun air barrage at approaching enemy planes be- fore they come within ten miles of the ship. The antiaircraft battery consists of five dual purpose 5 38 mounts and seven twin 3 50 mounts. With increas- ing emphasis on naval air the A. bat- tery has become more and more import- ant as a defensive weapon. Condition Three is not new to any of you who man one of the direc tor radar control stations or the mounts. You got a chance to show your stuff a half-dozen times. There was the balloon target and then, of course, the drone shoots. The drone unit came aboard for the Mediter- ranean Cruise in order to service MA- CON and the other ships of the SIXTH Fleet. You ' d watched the drone laimched from its platform on the port side of the fantail and saw how quickly the director officers slewed around and centered the target in their binoculars while the radar operators and trackers locked on. The Drone Officer gave you a practice run down the port side and then came in on the port beam for the firing rim. Strike nut 15 rounds of non-frn; ! Load hoppers! Air Action port! Stand by! Commence jiring! . These were the familiar commands which pre- ceded that blaze of firing as you homed in on the drone for a perfect hit. You felt good now; that two hour GQ seemed worth it after all. if ' ' - ' rcl ?3! High line LTJC; B. A. Nkrriam AA Control Officer ENS R. P. Whur Ass-i SWA Offic Cape Porpoise, M.



Page 42 text:

1st DIVISION Akins. J ' .hii R Doiihester 25, Mass. Baltiacd. Joseph L. New Brighton. Pa Bt,»-secm..ci, Paul J Cnmlon. R. I. Film fi. MKh ,, |„icpl, M. lliM. . Willi:,m R, Jr CMS CMSN Ncsfopeck, Pa. Slu|.iieml utg. Pa.

Suggestions in the Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book collection:

Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book online collection, 1957 Edition, Page 1

1957

Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book online collection, 1960 Edition, Page 1

1960

Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book online collection, 1959 Edition, Page 110

1959, pg 110

Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book online collection, 1959 Edition, Page 221

1959, pg 221

Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book online collection, 1959 Edition, Page 8

1959, pg 8

Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book online collection, 1959 Edition, Page 84

1959, pg 84

1985 Edition online 1970 Edition online 1972 Edition online 1965 Edition online 1983 Edition online 1983 Edition online
FIND FRIENDS AND CLASMATES GENEALOGY ARCHIVE REUNION PLANNING
Are you trying to find old school friends, old classmates, fellow servicemen or shipmates? Do you want to see past girlfriends or boyfriends? Relive homecoming, prom, graduation, and other moments on campus captured in yearbook pictures. Revisit your fraternity or sorority and see familiar places. See members of old school clubs and relive old times. Start your search today! Looking for old family members and relatives? Do you want to find pictures of parents or grandparents when they were in school? Want to find out what hairstyle was popular in the 1920s? E-Yearbook.com has a wealth of genealogy information spanning over a century for many schools with full text search. Use our online Genealogy Resource to uncover history quickly! Are you planning a reunion and need assistance? E-Yearbook.com can help you with scanning and providing access to yearbook images for promotional materials and activities. We can provide you with an electronic version of your yearbook that can assist you with reunion planning. E-Yearbook.com will also publish the yearbook images online for people to share and enjoy.