Sylvania (AFS 2) - Naval Cruise Book

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Captain Bernard A. Lienhard was born in Fort Scott, Kansas on January 6, 1919, received his education through junior college in the Fort Scott schools, and attended Norte Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. In 1940, Captain Lienhard enlisted in the V-7 Naval Reserve Officer Training Program, took an indoctri- nation cruise on the USS Arkansas, received his midshipman training at Northwestern University, and was commissioned on Ensign, USNR, on March 14, 1941. Having reported for duty in USS Shaw CDD373D the previous April, Ensign Lienhard was aboard on the morning of December 7,1941, when Shaw suffered severe damage from dive bombing in the Pearl Harbor attack. He continued to serve in Shaw until January 1944, and participated in the Guadalcanal and New Guinea campaigns. A year as an instructor at the U.S. Naval Training Center, Miami, Florida was followed by orders to USS Sims CAPDSOD as Executive Officer. Joining Sims in Okinawan waters, Lieutenant Lienhard took part in the initial troop landings in Tokyo Bay and the occupation of Japan. Promoted to Lieutenant Commander, he became Commanding Officer of Sims which became head- quarters and barracks ship for the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey Team investigating the nuclear bomb damage at Hiroshima. Following World War II, Lieutenant Commander Liehard commanded USS Falgout CDE324Dg attended General Line School in Newport, Rhode Island, and served in the Amphibious Force, first as Executive Officer of USS Catamount CLSD17J, then as Assistant Chief of Stafffor Logistics to Commander Amphibious Training Command, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Returning to destroyers in 1952, Commander Lienhard commanded USS Sigourney CDD643D. The two years in Sigourney included Caribbean Train- ing exercise, a midshipman practice squadron cruise to Europe, and Korean operations to support the United Nations Forcesf This tour was followed by three years duty as Destroyer Pro- ject Officer for the Ship Characteristics Board in the Office of the Chief ofNaval Operations.In this capacity, he assisted in the development of characteristics for the first guided missile destroyers and frigates. Assigned to duty with the NavalAir Force in December 1957, he served in the Atlantic fortwo years as Plans Officer on the staff of Commander Carrier Division 16 who had been given the mission of accelerating the development ofcoordinated air, sur- face, and undersea anti-submarine warfare tatics. Commander Lienhard continued, in 1960, in efforts stressing improved coordinated anti-submarine tactics as Commander Destroyer Division 232 in the Pacific Fleet. On July 1, 1960, he was pro- moted to Captain. In 1961, he again reported for duty in Washington, D.C. - to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Logistics as head of the Inter-agency and Maritime Matters Section. Later he became head of the Transportation Branch. In these assign- ments, his work involved determination of requirements for and capability of sea, air andland transportation to support military operations. From this duty Captain Lienhard received orders to command Sylvania upon commissioning. Captain Lienhard commanded Sylvania through a ship's mostprecarious months- commissioning and her first year of operations as a member of the US Sixth Fleet. From Captain Lienhard came Sylvania's comportment as a warship of the US Navy, he served in this Capacity until January of 1966 when he was relieved by the present Commanding Officer Captain McVey. -

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