Steinaker (DD 863) - Naval Cruise Book

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,. r ......,.... '-1 M r . 1 3 J . if ,,. fl fi I K . 1. l X, ihrl '.,Jg 5 1-in 1 sl fd 13111 ii gif A 5253? 5 l Tl ll , . GRAN Our first port of the Mediterranean cruise of 1952 was Oran, Algeria, made famous to all of us by the North African campaign of 1942. Coming into the beautiful harbor on Monday, .lanuary 21, WC Were amazed to be greeted by a full fledged hail storm. Very few of the crew were prepared for this kind of weather in what most of us considered would be the torrid climate of Africa. Oran is the ccyoungestn city to be visited, but nonetheless it has had a very stormy history. Settled in the 10th Century by the Andalusian Arabs, it has been taken, retaken, pillaged, and rebuilt by each of the various conquerors of North Africa. 1 Oran has always been considered a most strategic city because of its large port facilities and its location, being the first large harbor east of Gibraltar on the African Coast. Under the enthusiasm of Cardinal Ximenes, Spain conquered Mers-el-Kebir in 1505, and Oran in 1509, and a third of the Mohammedan population of Oran was massacred. The inquisition was introduced and the fortifications were restored and Oran became the Penal settlement of Spain. In 1708, the Bey of Mascara seized the city, but the Spaniards recovered the city in 1732, but after an earthquake in 1790 when great damage and huge loss of lives wasisuifered, the Bey of Mascara again appeared and a truce was made with the Bey Mohammed, who took possession of the city in 1792 and made it his residence instead of Mascara. After the fall of Algiers, the bey fllassanj placed himself under the protection of the conquerors and shortly thereafter moved to Levant. The French Army entered the city in January 1831, and took formal possession. Oran is the chief port of Western Algeria, the capital of the departments and military division of LIB 4cNow, hear this! Now, hear this! Station the special sea details. As these words come blaring over the intercom, a general fever of excitement begins spreading over the crew. Even the old sea dogs feel it. It won't be long now before the dull and routine life aboard ship will be traded for rich experiences ashore. Yes, its liberty for all hands soon. ccNow all the liberty party lay up to the quarter- deck for inspections: THAT'S IT!! Liberty call 11 Just a Hnal inspection before going ashore. The Navy wants to make sure we are all smart and military in appearance. For, after all, one of the primary reasons for being in foreign port is to give people of other lands a good impression of our Navy and its aims . As we all line up for inspection, we are anticipat- ing the good time we'll have ashore. For some itls the first foreign port, and for others, it's just a renewal u the same name fteehnically one of the three ments in the French lic-public in Algeriul. Uran 18 the head of the Gulf of Uran, 261 miles by rail South-' west of Algiers, 220 miles east of Gibraltar and 130 miles south of Cartagena, Spain, built on the slopes of Djebel Murdjedjo 11900 feetj, and the Fort of Santa Cruz at a height of 386 meters the to east. The city was originally cut into two parts by a ravine, which has for the most part, been covered by boulevards and buildings. West of the ravine lies old port, about which rises what was the Spanish town, but few traces of Spanish occupation remain. East of the ravine, the modern quarter rises, like an amphitheatre and is extending more and more to the northeast and to the southeast along the plateau of Karquenta, where the city's center now lies. A ring of populous suburbs surround the city. Oran is the second city of Algeria in commercial importance, and is a close rival of Algiers. Gross tonnage has reached 16 million tons on the import and export trade. There is no U.S. consulate. The architecture of the city is most representative of the peoples who have conquered and inhabited the city. The mosque and adobe-like construction has been subdued by the influence of the present population which is two-thirds European and one-third Arab. While in the city we visited Mers El Kebir, oft- pictured home of the French Foreign Legion. We went up into the native quarters and purchased rugs and silks, and some made it to the rug factory, twenty- iive miles away. At night we were introduced to some strange new fto us but actually thousands of years oldl dishes such as cccous-cousn and ccshiskebabn. The restaurants and clubs that we want to remember are Cafe de Paris., Crillon, and the Windsor. ERTY of good times had before in the same port or others like it. For every man in the fleet, liberty means some- thing different. To some, it is a chance to capture, through photography, the spots which we read about as a child. To some men, it means a quiet day aSll0l'0-i walking around and enjoying the crowds of a city and the feel of the land. To many others, it is a chance for a good meal at some little spot, almost lost to other sailors. Of course, some men go ashore to forget about things which have grown out of proportion T30 reality. AS you look at the liberty party, you can B66 that the eager-eyed, smooth-faced kids, the salty old sea dogs, and even the reserves are ready for the beaches .You know that whatever the individual sail01"s 15, he will return to the ship, having accomplished its , 5,

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