Mount Olympus (AGC 8) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 12 text:

SECTION 1 The European Cruise of the USS Mount Olympus Diary of a Modern Mariner A. D. 1952 526 August . . . ' To the stirring strains of martial music we pulled away from .Pier 5 at the Naval. Base, Norfolk, Virginia, this morning, headed for Northern Europe and Exercise MAINBRACE. Aboard are Amphibious Group Two, a detachment of Tactical Air Control Squadron 6, and a 16-piece band formed on 12-hours notice from musicians of the CINCLANT and PHI BLANT bands. We will be gone until early in October, and our first port of call will be Edinburgh. Since this is the Mount Olympus' first visit to Northern Atlantic waters all hands are looking for- ward to liberty in Scotland. Leaving port we joined a procession of men-of-war steaming out for MAIN- BRACE - cruisers, carriers, destroyers and minesweepers. Our force consists of the Mount Olympus as Flagship, Carpellotti and Commander Escort Squadron 8 in Darby, with Loeser, Delong, Coates and Parle. Tomorrow We will be joined by Commander Transport Division 21 in Chilton, with Deuel, Arneb and Fort Man- dan, carrying 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines, and by Commander Destroyer Squadron 12, in Compton with Dickson and Commander Minesweeper Division 82 in Staff, with Towhee, Sprig, Sustain, Strive, Token, Tumult, and Pigeon. 27 August to 3 September . . . Mount Olympus is sailing steadily eastward, surrounded by ships which form the amphibious force. The skies have been mostly gray, with some bright spots, and the seas mild to rough. Our days and nights have been spent in tactical ex- ercises and emergency drills. Today, on the eve of Exercise GANN ET, our mine- sweepers left the screen to refuel. We have enjoyed the daily concerts of our band. 4 to 6 September . . . These three days of Exercise GANNET have been busy ones. We were joined on the 4th by the U.S. destroyer Meredith and by two Portuguese destroyers, Duoro and Tejo, from the Azores. Two U.S. submarines, Torsk and Requin, have been acting as enemy and attacking our force as we maneuvered on our ever east- ward course. Our ships are playing the part of a convoy and its escorts. We are being protected by fighter and patrol planes from a U.S. carrier force north of us, and by land based British anti-submarine planes from the Azores and from Eng- land. The exercise ends late this afternoon C6 Sept. J .The two Portuguese destroyers returned to their base yesterday. We sighted several Spanish fishing schooners this afternoon, headed out. 7 to 10 September . . . We were joined the morning of the 7th by our support group - Mindoro, es- corted by Commander Escort Destroyer Squadron 6 in F. T. Berry, with Norris, McCaffey, L. Thomas, Keppler, Ammen, Cogswill and Ingersoll, and rejoined by our AMs. The force now makes a very impressive sight, and it's land ho as we sail north along the Irish coast, faintly visible. We had a shoot at radio controlled drones launched by the Fort Mandan, with good results. We will sail north of the Orkney Islands and south to the Firth of Forth. 1

Page 11 text:

u.s.s. mount ou.vmPus. A909 Commander J G Egan, USN Executive Officer USS Mount Olympus Captain R.L. Morris, USN Commanding Officer U.S.S. Mount OIYWIPUS

Page 13 text:

::..-:SS-'B -as -M i 3 K 1:7 an U U -. I I I , +b fear- 2:35 I B MTX 'ewes ' rig ies.-E I ff ' N' s W W '17 EE H '65 so T, feb!! ,L r-1, X ' .,..,,, J dl l ' W J JK- :A Wwwwfli ililfjlv F M is lj dinburgh . Scotland 11 September . . . , u After dodging fishing trawlers and coastal steamers 'yesterday and sighting the lights of Aberdeen last night, we anchored this morning below the mile-long Forth Bridge, a modern wonder of the world , in the Firth of Forth. call by Admiral Rose on the Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland, and his return call on Admiral Rose, and calls by other commanders of the MAINBRACE forces and units completed the morning's activities. Then the liberty party headed for the landing and Edinburgh, ancient capital of Scotland. 11 to 1.9 September . . . Hundreds of eager sailors swarmed into waiting buses waving crisp new one and five pound notes. Harassed conductorettes collected the large bills and stopped the buses several times during the thirty-minute ride to get change at local banks. Most of us were still mentally wrestling with the British currency system as the buses rolled around St. Andrews Square and squeaked to a stop in the heart of Edinburgh. For the more than 40,000 sailors and marines from shigs of the eight NATO nations participating in Exercise MAIN BRACE, Edinburg became hospitality headquarters , with Mount O crewmen doing their share of touring, shopping, eating and drinking. We found Edinburgh a city of contrasts-- ml-T5 'MDE contrasts between the ancient and the V- 'N 'WY TARVA modern, between the royal and the hum- f ble, and between the bustling streets ff Q and the quiet parks. up 1 . f Q iiggg,,,h Shutterbugs and culture seekers A CTE, A roamed about Edinburgh's impressive il ' -- M edifices and monuments, some of which 4. ivy, , X41 date back to the days of William the N 1 Conquerer. Favorite visiting spot was 1 ,W , the 1000-year-old Edinburgh Castle, f A 5 -. perched atop Castle Hill which overlooks fd M Q, Vg' the shopping center of Princes Street, f J 270 feet below. We found the view from LL F J the Castle well worth the climb. Beside i ' . ig, affording a panorama of the city and C0UI1Q1'Ys1de, Edinburgh Castle offered a 3 7 look into Scotland's exciting past--shim GITHOT, great swords, rich and color- S fu uniforms. tg M.. . wk?