White Plains (AFS 4) - Naval Cruise Book

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S x I WHITE PLAI WI ALL PACIFIC I II , t :XXV 'IX um U wx fx as . sf ii' ktgiqfllff QR '53 I. S Q, 1.-' 5 5 ssemffltbs 'dee 4 t ,V .Qs I I X X 4 5- tk UNREP makes ,av life easier A few generations ago, a sailor going on an extended cruise was in for trouble, dietwise. Chances were good that his fare of salt-pork, hardtack, dry beans, rum and rainwater would contribute toward his contracting scurvy, beri-beri, and vitamin deficiences of every imagineable kind, not to mention the pallor that such an invariable fare cast over the mess tables. The sailing men of by-gone days would be flabbergasted if they were to set foot in the general mess of any of the ships in todayls Navy on a similar cruise. Steak, roast beef, sugar glazed ham, or even lobstertails would likel ' d i y a orn the tables along with vegetables, fruits, and bakery goods. i Navymen can thank a procedure called underway replenishment ILINREPJ and a special auxiliary class of ship for this transformation. LNREP, which involves both aerial and surface replenishment, was designed to provide ships of the fleet with material support. The USS WHITE PLAINS, a Combat Stores Ship, carries food, supplies, and spare parts to these ships so they may remain at sea for prolonged periods. In the conventional method of replenishment, two ships sail on parallel courses about IOQ feet apart. The material to be transferred is sent across the interval by wire highline which is automatically tensioned to prevent the line from parting because of stress produced by the rolls of the ships, ln aerial replenishment,-also known as VIZRTR ICP, supplies are transferred two tons at a time in cargo nets suspended from the hotton. ul hehcopterslthat shuttle betwveen the supplying ship and her customer b Iflfitha EWHI I If PLAlffJS:'at you service'l philosophy, the Yokot-llI.,1 asc d ship served over 75 ships in 1975 N ' ,supplying them with the loofl and supplies they need to carry out tht ir ' ' U . A missions and make life Il liltle lnl easier for their crews. IX Ill INR I7 'lil I IQ ISS WHITE PLAINS ,g,,,.,,,,1, 'l'l..- err-re of the CombatStores Ship Vl'lIl'liIf l'l..fXlN5 recently complereda clean sn I-ep ol the L'onnnander Service Force I'gieiln' llgnlle lfllicieney Awards for lf?75by XNIIIIIIIIQQIIIliUlII'1iVI'ZII'tlh axailable in thier ' nipetilion l'UUlI- I lll'1'lr.- giwxirlls won by VI HITE PLAINSCFCXV neie the hgnrle1-fl'icit-110'HEHIOV Optlmum eonilmt rezidiness, the 1'H5lmf'ffIlIlg E for t'Xkil'lll'Ilt't' ill erl5llllI'I'VIIlI1 DIQIIQICHCY' the Supply If for significant sL1Df'V'0V1fYmlsupplyd riuidiness, :ind the deck seamanshlplillvarl linlll r , - , I . ln announcing the avi ards, Rear mdtfim llzirrett, Service I' orce commander, not? 'l'he superior clay'-f0'd3Y Pcflgmafnceisniiqismrr indication of the first degree 0 DY0 C55 1 ihepzn-1 of the wnnrers. I . ill Capt l.lf. Arnold, Commanding OIIICCIOI wnrrif PI fuss attributed theawafdsgot f , 1. V1 1 I . ' t 9 verb rrofessionahsm and ded1cat1QH 0 h, I lil alrt of all officers and men aSSlgnedIFh Cl ml I II' - I ' there IS- efforts have made their ship the best I

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l u .,L. ,Q . . 'I .-1314 . i- bi - ' 1- anllnrw '. I Til!! - it re- .-.- - 1 . pgs- ' - K ff'-', ' 'W . . , - N . 1.-e!-i,,,,, 4,,g 1 I i ' ef....f.'?'5s...-1. el , 7 w s ' ,ai I 0 LA ll ' WHITE PLAINS ' PEHFUHMAIVCE DHA WS APPLA USE DIV UPS IIII TRI.-'UUEIV T WIND' AND 1-'A GLF PULL ' The months of April and May 1975 were exciting ones for the WHITE PLAINS. This command was called upon to participate in the fleet operations later known to the public as Frequent Wind and Eagle Pull which were the final phases of the Vietnam conflict and the evacuation of thousands of Vietnamese refugees. The WHITE PLAINS performed all duties in those chaotic weeks in a manner that drew applause from all commands associated and was a major factor in earning this command the Meritorious Unit Commendation. These exciting operations began on April 6th when the WHITE PLAINS was ordered to get underway on a weekend with less than 12 hours notice and proceed at maximum speed to Subic Bay, Philippines for loading. Remarkably, and much to the credit of her unified crew, the WHITE PLAINS was underway with 98029 of her crew aboard in spite of the short notice. After two days of frantic loading at Subic Bay, the WHITE PLAINS was again ordered on April I0 to be underway on short notice, only this time there was less than 4 hours warning. Again, remarkably, the ship was underway with 98? of its crew. Details of operations in the South China Sea are too numerous to mention. The WHITE PLAINS serviced dozens of ships with much needed supplies for both refugees and sailors alike. In those chaotic days, the WHITE PLAINS was called upon to provide supplies to other ships in emergencies with only a few minutes' notice. Much credit must be given to the fast reaction time and 24-hour workdays of the WHITE PLAINS Supply Department. Upon depletion of the WHITE PLAINS' supplies, she again returned to Subic Bay for loading. This loading period was to provide supplies to the ships carrying refugees in the vast migration from South Vietnam to Guam during the period from 19 April until Z8 May. She performed these services in both the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea. At one point her decks were covered with hundreds of bags of rice for refugees. During this migration, as part of her support services, the WHITE PLAINS was called upon to escort three MSC ships carrying 25,000 refugees from the Philippines to Guam. It was during this escort and support duty that misfortune fell upon WHITE PLAINS when one blade of her screw broke off in deep water east of the Philippines. In spite of this near-crippling handicap, the WHITE PLAINS continued to her station 300 miles west of Guam at ten knots and for two weeks, acted as a valuable communications and support link in the chain of migration of Vietnamese refugees to Guam. Upon completion of refugee support operations, the WHITE PLAINS returned to Subic Bay where she was drydocked and refitted with a new propeller during a two week period in late May, in time for a much-needed liberty visit to Hong Kong in the first week of June. W I 5 i. .i , 67 . , ..a..M. AN... . -mn E i If if r .W I li i I