Waldron (DD 699) - Naval Cruise Book

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Our next stop was Colombo, Ceylon, for a two day visit. There we toured the tea plantations, bought gems , and rode elephants. One sailor was heard to remark that staying on the back of a pachyderm was similar to riding a bench on the mess decks in rough weather. After a hot trip across the Indian Ocean and up the Red Sea, stopping for fuel in Aden, we transited the other big ditch , the Suez Canal, and fueled again in Port Said. Then on we sailed into the Mediterranean. We tied up at Pireaeus, Greece, the port city of Athens, where we had an opportunity to see the remains of the glory that was Greece. Now we were really moving along, as we came through the Straits of Messina and up the coast of Italy to Naples, where we stopped for a brief visit. After visiting Capri, Pompeii, and Sorrento, with a side trip to Rome, we made the overnight trip to Genoa. There the rains came. . . and stayed, hampering sight-seeing and photography outings. But fun is where you find it, and fun was found, even if rather damp. Leaving Genoa, we made Villefranche the same morning. Although too cool for the wide, white beaches, the days were sunny, the scenery colorful, and the trip to the Riviera well worth while. Barcelona! Deemed by many the best port of the cruise. For four gay days, the Spaniards were our warm and friendly hosts at bullfight, cantina, museum, and midnight supper and basketball game. But all good things must end and give way to better, and so we clear- ed for Gibraltar and fuel, then westward still, nonstop to Norfolk. Seven months and two days after starting, we backed into a berth at Pier 2, and came to rest. . . once more at home. In that time we travelled nearly fifty thousand miles, consumed over 2,500,000 gallons of fuel oil, saw eighteen countries, crossed three oceans and eleven seas, touched five continents and three major island groups , andhad temperature extremes from three to one-hundred five degrees . We'd been around and we'd seen a lot. Still, it's good to be home.