Richard E Byrd (DDG 23) - Naval Cruise Book

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The Holy Land The Holy Land is located at the extreme eastern end ofthe Mediterranean. It is bounded on the north by Lebanon, on the east by Syria and Jordan and on the south by the Sinai Desert Israel is small in size labout 14,000 square milesl, but has played a great role in human history. RICHARD E. BYRD was able to visit many of the places where ancient civilizations once prospered during the IMAV periods at the beginning and end of the deployment ! ,,,......- 1....,i, x .Wh ,ti , - . 4 v . ffl A .I-51, ,L 'pg 'Wt' S . K , .i - , -is--5 N 4 I' I L J' l' K. , if -.2 Q.. I ' -4. r ' ft: , W u:j'., 'Q' . ' 1 1- f. . 3 . , , M V .'. filly I , I ' ..g-A A .1-P' N: - . I ' u. 'H L I it - . WA I '. ' by vs'rfv. RAN!! . ' :f -., ' ' 14 'A F ' 'YS' i,-MT' 'K5' .W-.,., H ff . , . . , Q l . AL, ,V My , fl, 'S :Juli , . R .- 4. J ' 5-5 2 MT.: - fu- , ' v' ... ,l. - f'-'. - , 1 .. li Q 'sv nl' A pf . h -ffze, fi,-QQ .,l . . 84 Ports Sf I Wes ga 'f.a'?fZ'i55i3i,1 'ff lf: - ' - f 2 ,J-:nm '- 1 he , . 1 4,'m,r Y lg Q., I

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rf Mediterranean Cruise - subsequently transferred to the Atlantic fleet and will be homeported in Philadelphia while undergoing an extensive overhaul. Norfolk-based units included USS JOSEPHUS DANIELS ICG 273, USS SOUTH CAROLINA ICGN 57l. USS KAIAMAZOO IAOR 61, USS RICHARD E. BYRD IDDG 23l, USS MOINESTER IFF 1097l, and USS TRUET IFF 10951. USS TRIPPE IFF 1075i and Commander Destroyer Squadron Thirty-Six returned to their homeport ofCharleston, SCwhile USS DOYLE IFFG 39l, USS CHARLES F. ADAMS IDDG Zi, and USS W. S. SIMS IFF 1059l returned tO Mayport, FL. USS NITRO IAE 253 retumed to its homeport of Earle, NJ. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS NIMITZ ICVN 68l with Carrier Airwing Eight embarked, which ori- ginally departed Norfolk as part of the batile group and served as flagship through the first five months of the cruise, has subsequently been transferred to the Pacific Fleet and proceeded to its new homeport of Bremerton, WA The battle group had been in the Mediterranean less than one month, having just completed National Week '87, a major exercise involving the USS JOHN F. KENNEDY Battle Group as well as French and Italian forces, when the seizure of four U.S. hostages in Beirut caused a precautionary build up ,ni ofU.S. naval forces in the Eastem Mediterranean. The NIMITZ Group was joined by the KENNEDY and her escorts who were temporarily extended in the Mediterranean. In Mid-February the KENNEDY group departed for home while MED 1-87 units visited Eastem Mediterranean ports including Alexandria, Egypt, Haifa, Israel, and Antalya, Turkey. All ships remained ready to sortie on short notice should the need have arisen. Following nearly two months of eastem presence, the I battle group headed westward for some well-deserved shore- leave. NIMITZ proceeded to visits in Turkey and Monacoo, I while the cniisers, destroyers, and frigates visited equally unique ports including Trieste, Italy and Wllefranche, Nance. USS CHARLES F. ADAMS had the opportunity to visit Dubrov- nik, Yugoslavia, a port not routinely visited by U.S. warships. At sea it was business as usual. Several ofthe units in the battle group pardcipated in underway training exercises and a major amphibious exercise in Sardinia in late March. The overseas diplomatic mission, always of importance in the time of peace, moved to the forefront duringApril and May as the battle group hosted a variety of foreign dignitaries, senior NATO and non-NATO military ofiicials, and media representatives to a first-hand look at how the ships and aircraft ofthe U.S. Sixth Fleet conduct day-to-day operations in the Mediterranean. The underway periods for all or portions ofthe battle group throughout the spring were fast-paced and demanding. There were a wide range of bilateral and multilateral NATO exercises in which the battle group participated. USS RICHARD E. BYRD participated in NAVOCFORMED, a force consisting of HMS AMAZON, ITS PERSEO, and TCG SAVAS- TEPE. Our group participated in Exercise Opengate '87 which was the first time NAVOCFORMED entered the Atlantic and operated with STANAVFORIANT. USS KITTY HAWK replaced USS NIMITZ as the battle group flagship after completing four months of operations in the Indian Ocean. Having traveled thousands ofmiles in support of real world contingencies, NATO commitments, and diplo- matic relations, the men ofthe battle group began to feel the deployment draw to a close as they tumed over with the inchopping SARATOGA Battle Group in late June. The battle group steamed home for a long awaited reunion with family and friends. Commanding Officers of the units of the MED 1-87 Battle Group included: Rear Admiral Robert J. Kelly ICommander, Carrier Group Eight and Commander, Battle Force Sixth Fleetl, CART Eugene D. Conner IUSS NlMlTZl, CARI' F. Lee Tillotson IUSS KITTY HAWKI, CAPT Frederick L. Lewis ICarrier Airwing Eightl, CARI' Mack C. Gaston IUSS JOSEPHUS DANIELSI, CARI' Donald L. McCrory IUSS KAIAMAZOOX CAPT John S. Redd IDestroyer Squadron Thirty-Sixl, CAFT Eric R Ernst IUSS SOUTH CAROLINAI. CART Thomas L. McClelland ICarrier Ainving Ninel, CDR Thomas F. Marfiak IUSS DOYLEl, CDR David Watson IUSS CHARLES F. ADAMSJ, CDR VlHlIiam J. Stillmaker IUSS NITROl, CDR Ray A Wallace IUSS RICHARD E. BYRDD, CDR Robert G. Allee IUSS TRIPPEI, CDR Charles T. ' Creekman IUSS W. S. SIMSI, CDR Earl J. Fought IUSS M M , L, MOINESTERJ, and CDR John O'NeiIl IUSS TRUE'ITl. 'I Med Cruise 85 Aww-dV.l..,,..1,,,--I. V..

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