Pocono (AGC 16) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 11 text:

K 1 W l The long awaited day finally arrived. In late August we went to sea for one day and sea trials. Sea trials are a working inspection of the work done in the ylrd. All new and repaired equipment is rigor- ously tested under the most strenuous conditions. After sea trials we spent one more week in Boston and finally sailed for Norfolk. The trip down was routine, but the welcome - well, it was easy to tell we had.been gone for five months! But despite the longer working hours away from home, the crew found time for relaxation. Because the Boston Naval Shipyard is not POCONO's regularly as- signed shipyard CAPT Barkley was permit- ted to grant 96 hour weekends for the crew once each month, and every Thursday there was a small exodus to either the airport or the bus station. I

Page 10 text:

In May, while still in drydock, PCCONO was honored to host the annual meeting of the Southeast Council of Massachusetts, Navy .League of the United States. This organization does much to promote the image of the Navy to the civilian public,and has proved to be an influential force in Congress on legislative items of interest to the Navy. Guest speaker was RADN Hoy BENSON, Commandant of the First Naval District. RADM Benson spoke of some ,of his many interesting experiences in Southeast Asia. At the conclusion of his speech, HADM Benson was pre- sented a ship's plaque to commemorate the occasion.

Page 12 text:

, rm. 1'-1f.,.vev , .ffi72.i.E1.1'2 :Tiff w'NFV:: 'f .:.:jIZ7r:' f'WIT1:3155-5::::y:E95'A ,Lm,.1,,f, 1 ps?:g:,ai,a5.f.1: 141111, V We spent the next fou weeks in prepar- ation for Refresher Training at Guantan- amo Bay, Cuba. There were schools to attend and much last minute work to be done., In the middle of September, we learned that POCONO's letter designation had been changed from AGC to LCC,reflec- ting the idea that amphibious ships are not auxillary ships but major vessels participating directly in operations. So there were things to change, from the canvas cover on the brow to the ship's letterhead and seal. . In early October, POCONO once again set off for the Caribbean - this time for a period of refresher training to be con- ducted under the control of the Fleet Training Group, Guantanamo Bay,Cuba. The Fleet Training Group guided departments in POCONO through basic training man- euvers and exercises to help us in gain- ing a suitable state of readiness. But the Medical Department was tested on the trip down when appendicitis flared up during heavy seas. While CAPT Barkley maneuvered the ship to reduce wind and heavy sea effects, Dr. M. D. GILSON per- formed the midnight operation. Both pat- ient and doctor agreed that the Medical Department was ready for any emergency. Upon our arrival in Guantanamo Bay, the Fleet Training Group initially conducted a Material and Administrative Inspection to determine if our shipfs organization and battle preparation, and our material conditions were adequate to permit the training to be profitably pursued. Each day the variuos Nship ridersn from the Fleet Training Group came aboard to guide us in our training and to put us through our paces.j Underway operations involved exercises in ship control, gun control, engineering control, damage control, medical assistance in battle, and communications during battle, both