Mount Olympus (AGC 8) - Naval Cruise Book

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A Brief History Of The USS Mount Olympus AGC-8 . The USS Mount Olympus CAGC-81 was commissioned on 24 May, 1944, at Boston, Massachusetts, and was assigned to the Pacific Amphibious Forces shortly thereafter, during which time she was the flagship of Vice Admiral Theodore S. Wilkinson.. U.S. Navy. 1 While attached to the Amphibious Forces in the Pacific, the ship participated in several initial invasions against Japanese including the assault and occupation of Leyte and Luzon in the Philippine Islands: also the occupation of Tateyama and Amori Wan, Honshu, Japan. The Mount Olympus was flagship of Rear Admiral Richard H. Cruzen, U.S. Navy, and Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, U.S. Navy iRetiredJ, during OPER- ATION HIGH J UMP , Antarctic Expedition which departed Norfolk, Virginia 2 December, 1946, and returned to the United States 15 April, 1947. The ship became flagship of Commander Amphibious TWO, U. S. Atlantic Fleet on 25 August, 1947. She participated in exercise SEMINOLE, and during February and March, 1949, in Caribbean Amphibious Exercises. Operations that followed were PORTREX, CROSSOVER, MANUVREX, CAMID and CONVEX. Late in March, 1951, word was suddenly received that MOUNT OLYMPUS was to proceed to Europe to be flagship of Admiral Robert B. Carney, Com- mander in Chief, U. S. Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Ten days later the ship was underway for Portsmouth, England. Visits to Oran, Vil- lefranche, Malta, Sicily, Athens, Crete, and Bizerte were interspersed with ex- tensive exercises during which the Mount Olympus was flagship for an exercise involving the entire Sixth Fleet. Finally she proceeded to Naples to be flagship for a unique combined force under the command of Admiral Carney as CINCSOUTH. On her return to the United States, the Mount Olympus became the flagship of Commander Amphibious Group FOUR. On 24 October, 1951, at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, the fiag of Commander Amphibious Group FOUR was replaced by the flag of Commander Amphibious Group TWO. The ship is now designated flagship of the latter. She was flagship of the Amphibious Force for Operation MAINBRACE, first large scale NATO operation in Northern European waters, during which period she visited Edinburgh, Scotland, and Oslo, Norway. Early in October, 1952, she visited Reykjavik, Iceland. Exercise LONG STEP, terminating in Lebedos Bay, Turkey, saw the Mount Olympus again in Mediterranean waters. During October and November she visited Augusta Bay, Naples, Cannes, Istanbul and Athens.

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Printed aboard the USS MOUNT OLYMPUS, AGC-8 at no expense to the Government.