Manatee (AO 58) - Naval Cruise Book

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spy ship THAT ' S A TRAWLER? Often, after months of separation from home and num- erous repetitious line trips, the operations of a fleet oiler can become somewhat monotonous. This however, was not the case on November 6, 1969. MANATEE was at the end of a line swing up the coast of Vietnam, in an operating area of the Tonkin Gulf where aircraft carriers and search and rescue destroyer groups were stationed. It was also where MANATEE was to consolidate her remaining fuel i. he jumbo oiler USS ASHTABULA before continuing to Subic Bay, R.P. On the morning of the sixth, MANATEE was on course to rendezvous with ASHTABULA. When she came in sight the crew noticed that an aircraft carrier, USS CORAL SEA, was alongside being refueled. In addition to the carrier there were other ships in the area. Two of them were U.S. de- stroyers which were the carrier ' s escorts. The other ship was a small trawler poking around the edges of the replenish- ment operation. As MANATEE closed the range to the ASH- TABULA the trawler was identified as the GIDROFON, a Soviet electronic surveillance ship. The GIDROFON acted as expected. She changed course numerous times, attempting to harass the Navy ships, but was not successful in doing more than being a nuisance. Her closest approach to MANATEE was approximately 400 yards. The pictures show the GIDROFON coming down the starboard side. Her crew were dressed as fishermen, but the substantial electronic equipment gave here away as being no ordinary fishing vessel. The incident brought to life many of the stories and rumors that MANATEE men had heard concerning Russian Spy ships, and added a dramatic international touch to the routine of replenishment duty in the South China Sea.

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USS MISPILLION refuels ollack CONSTELLATION as MANATEE approaches for her console AFTER FIVE TRIPS The remaining schedule was less demanding than usual since a number of ships had been withdrawn from the line. After completing each line swing, MANATEE consolidated its remaining cargo with a jumbo oiler in the Gulf of Tonkin. ANOTHER CONSOLE These consols lasted four to six hours leaving all hands exhausted but finally, loaded with retrograde and mail, the ship headed for Subic. CONSOLE, AND HOME THE RIG 3 CREW It takes the work of a lot of men to make a smooth replenishment. Here is one of MANATEE ' S five rig crews gathered at the end of a long line trip. (L-R) Front Row: SN LANDON, SN DAVIS, BM3 ROSS, SN EFFLER, SN BLOCKER, SN FITZGERALD. Second Row: RM3 BRODINE, FN HILTY, SA MACKLIN, SN ENDE, SN FERRIER, SN KLIMCZAK, SA BOBEL, LTJG NA- BERS, BMC JAY. 1 id 1 is 1 1 d 1 1 iHi i 09 1 i All - i v 32

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