Merrimack (AO 179) - Naval Cruise Book

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CDR Cooper was available to every member of his crew; for their concerns, complaints, or problems.

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ENTHUSIASM We are full of it! A WINNING COMBINATION Enthusiasm and confi- dence it is said to be the catalyst of all progress and success. MERRI- MACK meets every com- mitment and require- ment to the ships it sup- ported in the MED. Of- ten the crew went above and beyond to demon- All of us wear many different hats. FC3 and RM2 wore these with pride during un- derway replenishments. strate its level of profes- sionalism. Underway re- plenishment is the job of few ships left in the ac- tive fleet, we took this very seriously. We rec- ognized that we were representing, not only ourselves, but a dying class of ship. The zeal with which we did our job left a positive re- minder of the capabili- ties of this ship type and her crew. This is what we do! They pull along side, we pump, they pull away. EASIER SAID THAN DONE. Connected replenishment is essentially a combination of trained personnel, excellent ship handling skill and a be- lief in physics (HA HA). 7

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One of the jobs of the CO is to entertain foreign dignitaries while deployed. There is no greater pride for a Naval Officer than the job that a comand pin reprewendts, whis CDR Cooper wears proudly on the left side of his chest. CDR Cooper demonstrated a consummate example of military bearing and superb sea- manship skill to his crew