Mount Olympus (AGC 8) - Naval Cruise Book

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N W- gf-F- V'-'OE' l V-'bm XXV! 'gill 4 Q fag NW Milf F-1 bi Lu 4' N S QXFIQ I if- R f f X ll X ' iffYt39mfQ?fQQ:m uovsrn BAY, :ctw 16 October . . . We will always remember the hordes of hawkers, beggars and boys who crowded the fleet landing at Augusta, and plagued every foot of our progress through town. The cries of Hey, Joe, you wanna. . . and Hey, Joe, you gotta . . . accompanied each offer of a cameo, rug, inlaid jewel box, and gim- crack, or request for cigarettes or money. Boys tugged at our sleeves wherever we went. Augusta, with its few Roman and many modern ruins, was a colorful, if dirty and impoverished town. S Those who toured by bus to Taormina, resort north of Etna, saw a different side of Sicilian life. The quaint, quiet town perched on a shelf above the sea, was partly closed for the season, but its hotel converted from a monastery, its Greek theater, its shops and cafes and general air of beauty and prosperity contrasted with the dark, narrow villages along the route, where freshly-killed meat hung in the streets exposed to dust, flies and the hands of passers-by. Even bustling Cat- ania, seven times destroyed by Etna's lava or- earthquake and badly damaged in World War II, looked poor and dirty. Highway travel in Sicily is an experience not soon to be forgotten. The nar- row, twisting roads seemed inadequate to accommodate the numerous cars, heavy trucks and many large busses which all rushed full-speed, horns blasting, around blind corners and over narrow bridges and past frequent gaily-decorated donkey carts, each with its inevitable small brown dog tied underneath. Somehow, we always squeaked through alive. 20 October . . . We were not sorry as we sailed out hx of Augusta Bay today, bound for Naples db ' via the Straits of Messina and past b the 10,000 foot peak of dominating Etna. V- .gx-jxgf -jkw Af AH xxvxx-fxvfx-A-lg'1yY1g,fxi-Jxwfxgjxvfx ,V fy-j 17

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MM V , . fl .-:r ', 1 ' , Q11 . U 1 E -- ,,N:.:4::., ' 3- fl I nf-:.::: 4 . lf' -A , o 4 I N' is --.31-9 '-' ' H' I Ei-'LL 0 Il... ' hu 1 Egfr? U - 5 5 ' .-1 z: 5 . , i ,, ,jx 3 -, ---f ' 'TT 'r'i '57, ' ,. 1, w,,,,A - X A 1, N'- , B M :gif ,, ,..'iY f' 'fr ,Q J gg I EE'T:- 'I' 1' .f :fr ' . .' av-' - 'Elf-:Q -1 A 4 Dx 1, Liirqfld :H ,K . - ,, Y -5. -A 6 I ' Jlu'., J,bM fEI,,: llrivly fb. A- . 'A ' ' D---- -I -'W' 113-354 frplcs, gtal 21 October . . . N We sailed into Naples harbor this morning and did a fast 180 degree turn to tie up stern first at the end of the pier in the well-known Mediterranean moor next to our sister-ship, the Adirondack. The Des Moines with Commander Sixth Fleet embarked entered the harbor an hour later and moored along our port side. As soon as the fantail brow was rigged, quickvisits were exchanged with friends on the GC-15 , Yesterday afternoon we sailed through the fabled Straits of Messina, past the romantic island cone of Stromboli at dusk and this morning passed Capri and raised the towering heights of Vesuvius. Naples is the metropolis of southern Italy. Its crescent-shaped shores em- brace both the boulevards and parks -- and Santa Lucia, famed in song -- of the' new city, and the dark, narrow and littered streets of the old city, with its laundry- festooned tenements and its industry. y Admiral Rose and the planning staff rejoined us here today, and Brigadier General R. E. Hogaboom. USMC. brought his landing force staff aboard. 28 October . . . These eight days have been filled with touring and sightseeing--several two- day tours of Rome, day and half-day tours to Capri, Amalfi, Sorrento and Pompeii. The first three we found beautiful, the last impressive in its ruin. The average Mount UH visitor to Naples soon developed a calloused attitude toward the obsequities of the natives and turned his attention to Naples'historic points of interest. The oldest city in Italy, Naples grew from a settlement existing some 2500 years ago. Periodically a city of great wealth and then dire poverty, Naples has been a barometer indicating the economic condition of the country. New construction cannot hide all the ravages of war and occupation during World WarII. Buildings, pock-marked with bomb holes give evidence tothe hundred of Ail- lied and Nazi air raids on Naples. Near Naples' modern municipal pier, constructed with Marshall Plan aid, is the imposing Castello Nuovo. Little is known about this imposing landmark ex- cept that it was completed in the 13th Century, and one of its residents, a Neapolitan monarch. is said to have imprisoned his wife there to protect her from suitors. The Royal Palace is the next ediiice that attracts the eye. This walled-in and vine- bedecked massive brick pile was once the residence of the Neapolitan kings. and became Mussolini's home when he was in Naples. The great building shows many signs of remodelling and reconstruction.