Pocono (AGC 16) - Naval Cruise Book

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Action in Boston Cstarting above, counterclockwisejz yard man welds while POCONO sailor stands fire watchg there was electrical gear to fixg and vent systems to re- pairg old paint had to come offg and boilers had to be reworked Ccenterl. Below: POCDNO enters drydock in early May.

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Shortly after our return from the Carib- bean we had the first of our major graded training exercises, an Operation- al Readiness Inspection conducted in the Virginia Capes areagwe were gone for only two days but there was a great amount of preparative work to be done,earlier. The weather was bitter cold as we went through our paces, but the results showed that we had done an EXCELLENT job inspite of the weather. Prior to going to the shipyard,Navy ships spend a period of time called a Htender availabilityn-alongside a repair ship in homeport. 'We spent 3 weeks alongside the USS VULCAN, having some preliminary ship- yard work done. This was also a time for the crew to make final preparations for the yard. But we took time out for a ship's party, MC'd by a local disc jockey and enjoyed by everyone. .vi-1 Periodically all Navy ships must enter a Navy shipyard for overhaul and repair. During this time, the ship is torn apart and obsolete equipment is removed. Us- able equipment and materials are cleaned and repaired, new equipment is installed and alterations are made to the ship. POCONO entered such a yard period Iin April of this year. During the months from April to September,literally hun- dreds of jobs were completed by the Boston Naval Shipyard. Finally in early September the shipyard miracle ,took place. Out of the-steel scaffolding, the noise of chipping hammers, and the dirt of old paint and parts emerged POCONO, again a ship of the fleet. ' in the Spirit of maintaining good com- munity relations,POCONO men participated ln several local functions including the Flag Day and Fourth of July parades in Needham, Manchester, and Winthrop, Mass, 2 boat crews helped the city of 'Marble- head celebrate its 300th. year, Marble. head is considered the founding site of the U. S. Navy, for it was here that the first Navy vessel, the USS GLOVER, was presented to the Continental Congress. Later in the sum er boat crews provided transportation to underpriviliged school children in the Boston area to and from Gardner's Island, site of an amusement park in Boston Harbor. a '

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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.