Whidbey Island (LSD 41) - Naval Cruise Book

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DEPARTM ENT H EADS DENTAL is DECK OPS ENGR. ,CL Q-r LT A K we H . l1 J W HARDIN SUPPLY -EL 1'-'W N fx MEDICAL .B- LT, P. J. HENNELLY E. R. SAWTE LT V J CATULLO

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T n MASTER CHIEF COMAYIIIQINT FRANK D. Bnooks Ai 'WIN .BMCM Brook M.I-.II-r Cliivf Boat-.w,Irri's Mate Frank D Brooks is the son of Mr. and Mrs. C. D. and Alpha Brooks of Dallas. Texas . I . ' ' ' adualionfrf porn.-tl lliv Navy in J.inu.iry. 1961 and attended Basic Training at San Diego Naval Recruit Training Center. UDOW 8' , 35 CAMBR4 I.-portl-II In USS COOKE CAPD 1305. his first command. In June, 1964, Master Chief Brooks reported on board U I d' Valleys QAPA ,tm Allvr luis tniir on USS CAMBRIA ended in December, 1968 he attended schools at PHIBTRADET, Male 15 an . . . . . i082-'52 l,.IlIl0rrII.l.1IItl NM1Cbron.1tlo. California Upon completion of this training April 1967 he joined COMRIVRON El-EVEN Serv , . . - tNAVl'l Boat t..ipl.airr in Vivtrmrn In April 1968, BMCM Brooks returned to Vallejo California and served as an Instructor 3 I ' , 'I Marti' bllOl'SlRACEcN.M.Irolsl.1nd His next tour of duty was on USS DAHLGREN CDLG 12D h h h rt d to In M6y,1971 n . w IC e repo e CANAHLPHL l9?Dl1MCP.l Brooksrvpnrted tothe USS ARCTURUS CAF 529 for temporary duty and then went on to USS GUADAL K . nmefi IHADFI1, l37QfvI.lwrvl10's0rx'edl as LCPO of 1stDIvIsIon In MGY 1975 he r9DOl'19d to Naval H d Ft VS, Washmgton' Depa 1' , , ea qua e dw Prem of livlvrisv for 3 years serving as head ofthe Reading Improvement Laboratory. In July 1978 BMCM Brooks f9D0Vte Con ill UU LV9 1 MERIU t vt 1 . ,1'-1dl1dSOVN'PC10l1 USS CONOLLY from September 1978 to November 1979 His next command WBS USSA - , ' f-Master? QLVN 661 whore he served until October 1981 From Oct b 19 I . . . o er, 81 to October, 1984 he served as lst L1 and Chied 0,50 M5 Arms .at LANTFLT In October, 198-1, he became Master Chief Petty Officer and reported to Precom WhIdb6Y 'SW' , ' fUS5 whore he svrwd as First Division Officer until May, 1986 when BMCM Brooks became the Master Chlef Petty Omcer 0 me WHIDSEY IQLIXNU QLQD -115 BMCM B - ' Virgf , .C . l , v . rooks is married to the former Jace Howard of Chelsea, England. They V?5'de mbat.-Vj Beacli with their two daughters Jace and Rebecca. BMCM Brooks' awards include Navy Commendation Medal with Corgampaygri Arr Force Commendation Medal. Combat Action Ribbon, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and Republic of Vietnam Medal ,l

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UNITED STATES SHIP WHIDBEY ISLAND DOCK LANDING SHIP 41 HISTORY SHlP'S HISTORY In February of 1981, the U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Shipbuilding Company-of Seattle, Washington, a contract to construct LSD 41, first of a new class of Doclr Landing ShIp to replace the aging Thomaston class LSD's. At the August 4, 1981 keel laylflg Cefemmly the Honorable John F. Lehman, Secretary of the Navy, affixed hlS signature tothe LSD 41 keel, the first keel of an amphibious ship to be laid in more than five years. Dunng the ceremony Secretary Lehman announced that LSD 41 would be named Whidbey Island and the shIp's sponsor was to be Mrs. Sally Gorton, wife of Senator Slade Gorton from the state of Washington. Although this ship is the first to carry the name WHIDBEY ISLAND, there was at one time a ship on the Navy's rolls called USS WHIDBEY CAG 141jI. This was a small transport purchased from the U.S. Army and saw service in the U.S. Trust Territories in the late l940's. On June 10, 1983, LSD 41 was launched and subsequent waterborne construction continued until September 18, 1984, when the ship went to sea for the first time to conduct Builders Sea Trials. Following Acceptance Trials in early December, LSD 41 was delivered to the Navy on January 8, 1985. The commissioning ceremony on February 9, 1985, culminated the fleet introduction of USS WHIDBEY lSLAND which began with the Navy's design solicitation nearly seven years earlier. Upon commissioning WHIDBEY ISLAND travelled through the Panama Canal enroute to her first arrival in homeport on May 1, 1985. USS WHIDBEY ISLAND is the first ship in a class designed specifically to interface with the Navy's newest landing craft the Landing Craft, Air Cushion CLCACJ. In the capacity LSD 41 developed over-the-horizon tactics for the employment of this quantum improvement in amphibious warfare. WHIDBEY ISLAND further assisted in the operational and devel- opmsggal testing of the LCAC from July through September 1985 and again in May and July o 1 . As the lead ship of the class, WHIDBEY ISLAND has set the pace with her successful and professional participation in Class Standardization Trials, Shock Test and numerous other special evaluation tasks. ln August, 1986, WHIDBEY ISLAND participated in the major NATO Exercises Northern WeddingfBold Guard 86 proving her capabilities as a modern amvpgilzggigwarship. Recent port visits include Copenhagen, Denmark and Kiel, Germany. 'S'-AND 5 f Sl malvf deployment was to the MedIterranean Sea beginning on 20 Januvaw 1987 and ending 16 July. 1987. Operations included: East Med Presence Ops, gardima Exercise,'TunIsia Exercise, Dragon Hammer 87, Galera 87 and Presidential Boat P0flfl0 lS H1 Venice. Italy for the Economic Summit. -lllI I 'ii 71. '- ,-,,,,, . . V