Nitro (AE 23) - Naval Cruise Book

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siles as we launched an attack on the FOIIGSI31' After the games the Forrestal and the Nitro re- sumed their friendship. The 23rd of February found the Nitro tucked in the harbor in Naples in the shadow of smoky, dormant Mount Vesuvius. We were treated by access to Pompeii, Capri, and Rome through ship 's tours. Rome was no more than a European train ride from our mooring. It was easy tO S66 the pride Italian people have in living, -in ele- ganceQ in friendship, and in family. The splen- dor of its statuary, the elegance of its cathedrals and the many offerings of its art world added to make Naples a most enjoyable port. h After receiving fleet freight, we left Naples on the lst of March. Once again to . Augusta Bay, and then to a rendezvous with the Brumby, Rush, Talbot, and Pawcatuck on March 3. For the -next three days, the Forrestal came alongside for cargo transfer. 'And the brass band played and we were dwarfed alongside this sea- going airfield, our bridge barely reaching to the Forrestal 's flight deck. Our next visit was to Antalya, Turkey. Amidst the turmoil of recent weeks in Turkey, the crew was somewhat uneasy about their re- ception, but found Antalya a unique city, older and poorer than what we were accustomed to, devoid of night life, yet intriguing in its Eastern orientation. Minarets, the Moslem prayer tow- ers, were visible throughout the city, open markets clogged the alleyways, and horsedrawn carriages served as taxi cabs. The outer fringes of Antalya found bands of Nomads camped in tent clusters and camels angling down dirt roads. The Governor of the Province and the Mayor of Antalya paid visits to the Nitro. The basket- ball team from the ship even engaged a local high school team in the sport, and the Turks proved that they have assimilated our sport well as they trounced our band of sailors, 52-30. The crew conducted itself in a most mature manner and we left Turkey after an incident free visit. Another series of underway replenishments in the next several days as we refueled the Roan off the coast of Egypt, received fuel from the Pawcatuck, and serviced the Forrestal. On the ' 17th of March we returned to Athens for eleven 1 days, and then it was another replenishment with Q the Forrestal. The first five days of April found us in Naples accompanied by heavy seas which 1 prohibited liberty. Many people, hoping to pur- chase some stereo gear at the discount prices of- fered by the NATO base, spent their shopping ' time playing pinochle in the crew's lounges. a And cursing. On the 6th of April, while steam- ing for Barcelona, we ruptured tubes in our ffl boiler and momentarily lost power. Heavy, A black patches of smoke were spewing out of our stack as we glided to a stop in the water. The boiler technicianspatched our injured boiler and the Nitro found Barcelona on the 7th of April. I ! H We were faced with having to replace the damaged tubes before attempting the rapidly ap- proaching Atlantic crossing, and on the 13th of April we moved pierside, amidst all the luxury liners, for repair. The Spanish enginemen and our own 'black-gang' worked extra hours to avoid delay in our outchop time. Meanwhile the rest of the crew was enjoying walks along the Ramblas, a misplaced Big Ben's, lbullfights, and a zoo that featured the world 's only captive albino gorilla. And the thrills of an international Grand Prix, with the world's greatest drivers touring a course set atop a hillside guarded by a fortress. Bar- celona is also the sight of a Picasso museum and an excellent maritime museum, as well as a replica of Columbus' Santa Maria. It was easy to sympathize with our latter day sailing predeces- sors after seeing the ship that discovered Am erica r - it was about the size of our helicopter deck. The ship offered a ski trip to Andorra, a tiny mountain country tucked in the Pyrennes between i Spain and France. Last minute shopping, over- due souvenir buying, and exchange of collections of currency, and we left Barcelona under full power on the 24th of April. Rota, Spain. We had seen the same base six months earlier, but l v i . rl

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sailed to Naples, Italy, where we conducted operations with NATO units. Next was a short stay in Augusta Bay, Sicily, and a rearming of the USS John F. Kennedy, marred by a lost mine and a cargo drop reel failure. The Thanksgiving holidays found the Nitro anchored in Malta for its turkey dinner. Our next assignment was to refuel the Pur- vis and the Roan on December 10 and 11. During this active two day period we also conducted a vertical replenishment with the USS Sylvania, the Sixth Fleet 's floating Stop and Shop. Load after load of victuals for the crew were passed from the Sylvania to the Nitro via helicopter. The boxes of Grade A U.S. inspected steak were handled with particular care. And the usual grunts were heard for the endless supply of the Navy staple, roast beef. We visited the-island of Crete for an over- night stay in Soudha Bay where we did bottom research and received a fresh supply of fuel. A brief return to Malta was next on the agenda. On the 13th of December a group of Maltese youngsters visited the ship and requested pictures and patches. The history of Malta is written along its seacoast. The scars of bomb craters, fortresses, and caves dot its cliffs, - a' testament to the continual barrage of Malta in World War Two. The empty husks of bombed out cathedrals and the shards of houses present a unique blend of history living in the present. And the crew was learning how to get to Valetta. On the 16th of December, Captain Bartlett QCOMSERVFORS- SIXFLTJ spent the night on board and observed readiness drills the next day. On December 17th, the Nitro conducted a consolidation with'the USS John F. Kennedy who received an early Christmas gift - the Nitro returned a missile to her wrapped in Christmas trimming. Soudha Bay and the Bob Hope show aboard the Kennedy. Christmas time, sailors lonely for home and the seemingly peren- nial Bob Hope. And the bevy of beautiful girls. There is no need to do any more than mention Ursula Andress. Good humor and well wishes from America's top comic. No snow in sight., On December 21, the Nitro arrived in Athens, Greece, for the holidays. Sixteen mem- bers of the crew flew back to the States to be re- united with their families for Christmas, and other crewmen had their dependents flown to Greece on a special charter flight, part of Ad- miral Zumwalt's new plan to ease the burden of separation. Athens provided a beautiful setting for sightseeing, trips to the Acropolis and Placa, purchases at the Flea Market, tours to Delphi, and a leisurely respite from sea duties. We ushered in the New Year in Athens, and prepared to leave January 6th, On the fifth, however, six of the personnel who flew to the States missed connections on flights. MM1 Ferland aided the six while in transit at Rhein Mein Air Base and as- sisted them in securing alternative reservations for a flight to Naples, and they joined the crew in time for the departure from Athens. Ferland received a Letter of Commendation for his meri- torious service. After eight days at sea and an overnight stay at Augusta Bay, Sicily, for a mine loadout, we had a harrowing experience. We were re- ceiving fuel from the Pawcatuck and making preparations to break away when the Pawcatuck suffered a rudder casualty and lost her spanwire. Good work by the deck gang on the Nitro pre- vented any injuries and we resumed our course for Valencia, Spain, thankful for teamwork and safety. Valencia offered inexpensive shoes and boots, a city mingling new apartment buildings and old squares, and quality Spanish rum. The month of February was a busy one. We spent most of the month underway. After another port call to the now familiar Malta, we churned into Soudha Bay to pick up ,a firetruck for transport to Augusta Bay, where we unloaded the broken Cap- tain's gig. Then we began training for Mini-Na- tional Week, -four days of combat condition train- ing which were to be held the 11th through the 15th. Our Ally was to be the Pawcatuck. On the 15th the Nitro, so accustomed to delivering mis- siles to other ships, delivered three missiles in a decidedly different manner. Three jet planes, attached to us for the games, served as our mis-

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it looked much, much better this time. The Suribachi, AE-21, looking mighty good moored in Rota. Our relief. Turnover. Goodbye to Europe. At 0955 on the 27th of April we de- parted from Rota for the United States. Home to Earle, New Jersey, home to Davisville and brass bands and family. Home.