Mazama (AE 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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EPILOGUE 53,000 miles, 279 days, and 38,000 candy bars later, USS MAZAMA CAE-95 steamed back into Davisville, RJ, Her deployment to WestPac was over, and on this twentieth of December everyone was very much in the Christmas spirit. It was earned, and then some. MAZAMA had left the U.S. on 17 March to relieve USS WRANGELL CAE-125, the first east coast ammunition ship to serve in the Vietnam conflict. When she arrived in Subic Bay, R.P., on 5 May after brief visits in Panama and Pearl Harbor, her crew was used to being underway but still inexperienced in an AE's primary mission of transferring ammunition at sea. Practice came early. Five days later MAZAMA was on her way to operations off the coast of Viet. nam. Her first time on line, she averaged 68.5 short tons of ammunition per hour in CVA re-armings. Not a bad start, but it would have been discouraging at the time to be told how much improvement was needed to set the records that were to follow. After much more practice in the Tonkin Gulf, MA. ZAMA was transferring 138 and finally 146 short tons per hour in her last two efforts on station. When MAZAMA came back to Subic Bay for the last time on 29 Oct, the statistics had all been counted. She had transferred all types of ammunition from 38 special to 2000 pound bombs. She had re- armed carriers 18 at one time or anotherj on 41 occasions, and on one especially good day had trans- ferred 807 tous in a l-I hour period. There were 74 other re-armings, two-thirds of them with destroyers and the rest with cruisers, LSNlR's, DE's, and even a swift boat. And everyone of those ships must have been glad to see MAZANL-X coming because service ships deliver fleet freight, persontiel, mail, and movies. So ai good re-arming was good for morale as well. Un the third of Nov XIAZANIA got underway from Subic Bay but this time unloaded. She was on her way home the long way - west via the Suez Canal ----- 30 miles longer than the Panama route by twltitlt slit' llilll t'timt'. lint tintt' site was IIOI al0ltC. Tl1C USS SHASTA QAE-65 had arrived in SUlJiC ju!-Bl days tuirlit-r. She also was an east coast service ship, and no doubt felt the same anxiety and dilfi- tleurt- that Xl.XlfXNl.rX had expr-rienced a few months sooner. So now headed for Singapore ani a long trip hoiut-, it was time lor some underway training. SHASTA rehearsed her approaches and Burlcw rigglngS. uiadt- sonic token truiisft-ts, said thank you and changed course for Vietnam. MAZAMA headed for U10 liqttator to initiate ISU pollywogs into King Neptune's Kingdom. lt was onli .tliottt this time that the cruise had an around-the-world flavor to it. There had been a wet-lt in llonx kong C'-Nil ll' .lUl5'. and now there would be stops in Singapore and Beirut. And the ocean .it lt-.ist would not .ilways lit' the llatifirj but also the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Mediterran- ean Sea. .ind the qXtl.intit , and gi few narrow spots at Malacca, Suez, and Gibraltar, Xl:XZ.XXl X knew when she left Subic Bay she could go the distance without refueling and she proved it. llut she did run low on fresh provisions, so the USS ALSTEDE IAF-485 obliged with a vertical unrep off Sicily. ll.if-'s later the booms had to be topped out of the cradles for another unrep as the U55 X:X'l'pli.Xll.Xl..-X t.-KU-:Stir came alongside and delivered some parcel post just west of GIBRALTAR. lllvtl tt was west to the States. The Atlantic was surprisingly calm. And at last was DaViSVillff .ind all the splendor and ,excitement that a ship can get at Christmas time after being away since Si- Patrirks day. .Ns the magic hour neared, a sailor shouted, When liberty call goes, there'S going to be chaos around here . tdid,t - -w.s, l htrt 1, Arnnio Vessel li ' Returns to RJ. After War Duty DAVISVILLE, R. I.-The first East Coast Navy' nition ship to serve In to Eastern waters returned a Davisville today. fo11oW1nEth nine-monthh dgplogment W1 the U.S. 7t 06 - The 225 officers and men 'if the U.S.S. Mfazama were Wea, comed home bY nfeboats tt they sailed into Narragensfisl Bay, Relatives and frlenir were on the piers to see tht!-im men home in time for ee Christmas holidays- J .,,i .. 0 it P

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IN MEMORIUM FRANK A. RICE RADIOMAN CHIEF U.S. NAVY