Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book

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Upon completion of her yard period, she proceeded to Guantanomo Bay, Cuba for a routine refresher training cruise and returned to Norfolk after re- ceiving the High Excellent mark from the Fleet raining Group. the spring of 1956, the heavy cruiser added the kis I guided missile to its armament. The MACON is one of the four surface-to-surface m jg j l ruisers of the U. S. Navy capable of laur egulus I guided missile and is the onh mecL cruiser serving with the Athiiuii ' s I gui(fOT ifiilsi ' I ' ? Pi lcmbles a conven- naJBWrept-wingecI jet fighter ibout lUirty feft ffong BT is i|A)v operational, powered h a turbojti »d is l.iuncjied from the 1(1 roclsci IjtJosCtis. The lajigi o excess ol live hiiiulicil miles ' » hip V Idiijg Regtikib, .W IC ' OV ' i homeport w 1 Norfolk, Viigini.i to Boston, Massa ' n MmACON saped a toui a ; .i Iuik tional arm W ■ SIX! H Fleet during the critical Siieyi ci ii )5(» Ixing one of the Inst Ameiican wais-fc, iJfer in the Eastern Meduerranean. She returnee! ilKPl ' nited States in February of 1957. That sum- mer jfound MACON in Latin America on a mid- shipman cruise. After returning to Boston for an extended in-port period she made a North Atlantic ri se which included a visit to Copenhagen, Den- mark. The MACON next embarked on an eight week refresher cruise to the Caribbean. This was followed by a midshipman cruise to Europe where , she visited Spain, Norway, and Holland from which W 1 many MACON men visited the Brussels World ' s Fair. L In early November she proceeded to Norfolk to B embark RADM Lawson P. Ramagc, Commander MJK Cruiser Division TWO and his staff and proceeded t S to complete half of the Atlantic Fleet Exercises ¥ 2-58 in November. On Monday, 1 December 1958, the USS MACON got underway for a sixth-month cruise in the Mediterranean, its fifth such tour of duty.

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iSiOtli USS MACON CA-132 The heavy cruiser, C .SS MACON (CA-132), was named in honor of Macon, Georgia. Buih by the XcMv u k .SliiplniiklinfJ- C-iorporation ol Canulen, Xcw )i ' isc , MACO va liist conuni. ' i ' iioneil al the I ' liilacklpliia X.ual l»a e i n August 26, 19 15. She was buih til adoninioclatc a noinial ((iinplemeiu oL a|)|)io iiiiaicl 75 olti(ers anil 1200 enUstetl men. During her hist li e years the 17,000 ton, hahi- niore-class (ruiscr v.is assigned to the Operalimial l)e eli)|iuRnt Forte as a test ship, evaluating and testing the latest develojjnients in niarhincis and equipment proposed hjr use ihroughout the Xa , The ship ' s armament at that time v.is linnied to a main battery ol nine 8-intli guns mounted in triple tuiixts and a secondare anti-aircrah battery con- sisting ol twelve 5-inth dual pinpose guns in six iwiu mounts, and lourteen M-incIr automatic guns motniteil in sexen tAvin nunnus. On r piil 12. 1950, MACON was de-commissioned anil placetl in mothballs at the Philatlelphia Na al IJ.isc. She was le-commissioned lor duty with the Cruiser Force, Atlantic Fleet in October 1950, short- h alter the oiubreak ol the Korean War. Ihe MACON has seen extensi e duty in both the . tlanti( and Mediterrane.m areas, ser ing viih the U. S. SIX ' FH Fdeet lor three (onseiLuiNe years liom 1951 to 1951. U]ion (oin[)leting her thiid toui iili die SIXTH Fleei. the MACON reiurned to ilu Xoi- lolk X,i ,il Shipviid -wiieie she coinmeiKed an ex- iensi e oxerhaul in ])eceinber 1951.

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!r ' % 1 ,, .,w .A ' USS MACON CA-132 «: