White Plains (AFS 4) - Naval Cruise Book

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6 Guests on White Plains Cruise List .-XISQ XXRIJ TI I ISS W I lI'l'lf l'l..Jtl NS lSpeciall - Mayl helpyou Ma'am or VN hat s gi hulkluuul, Iltrlley' are unusual questionswhen they're asked aluiartl ai ship ol the ISS. Navy. But, for the officers aiul men of tlu- Qlonibat Stores Ship WHITE PL.-Xl NS, the unusual lu-came the routine during a six-day recreation cruise to Iieelung, Taiwan. The cruise, a short hop for the Vl'llI'lili PLAINS' crew, Wasamajor adventure for most of the embarked dependents and guests. That adventure began on a drizyly, misty, Thursday morning at6a.m.,when wives and military personnel from other commands in the Sasebo area boarded the ship and elu-eked through the make-shift customs stationset up over one of VI' Hl'l'li l'l,.'Xl NS' main cargo holds. - By the time l' nderway, shift colors had been sounded over the general announcing system, 76 dependents, guest, or temporarily assigned military personnel had heen logged on board. The passengers were treated to a display of the ship's capabilities the first day out of port, when the WHITIC PLAINS resupplied the USS Anchorage. One of the ship's Sea King helicopters transferred food and parts to the ANC HORAC I If, carrying one to two tons of cargo on each lap. When the VVHITIC l'l,AI NS arrived in Keelung harbor afteraday and a half at sea, it was the signal for a mass exodus from the ship, and the beginning of a five-day bargain hunter's dream. Jewelry, pottery, brasswork, and other knick-knaeks all changed hands in heavy trading, along with 639 pieces of handcrafted furniture. Many of the dependents and their sponsors visited Taipei. There, they were able to see the National Cemetery, a monument to the CIHHCSC Patriots of World War II, as well as many of the buildings that mark Taipei as the seat of power for the Nationalist government of Taiwan. -A last fling aboard ship was a gala cookout on the flight deck, compldf with hamburgers, hot dogs, iee cream, and all the trimmings. Afteriivafdi a short walk down the gangwav to the ears waiting on the Sasebo P1633 X N ' dfwff IAIOYUC, and time to reminisce. Modern Cargo Handling Sets a Fast Tempo L'SSWHITEPLAINlSleXFS4IaC b 3 f is hx A' A Om at fOfsSShip,iSfh a ' A ., afsldiacjnforfg fg1tr2E.iShEIcommemorates the veteran escort aircraft Easriiejiqofsllklioflil till Fiii t wX'HITE PL uQSSOrgff1MlieEtuckY, Maryland, New York- and Virginia ar V . A A 15 3. H . . ' Natlonal Steel and Sh. b . . S Class COmbat Stores Ship, and was cons - 1 . Octob 7 1965 d is uilding Company in San Diego Calif . H k .frut ted by tlu Cr -3, ,an s ewasl h d i Ornla. er ee was lail W wma of Congressman Sclnlsojoggiiliiigyrlgibo under the Sponsorship of Mrs. Iiob , 0 'WD Dace with the fast tem 0 r ' ' S s I ' d C b ' r 1 1, fquqlpped Wlth the most d P CQUIFC ' a om at Stores ShlD, WHI l Pi Pl ,Xl S Eombnpf Yith package Comflllloflnalclairgillujgiodgiig Eguipment in the fleet. Fork lift truckltli I' . i ' . O 1 ' x . , ' owltucgigciyholds in thegship to transfer stations. VC material quickly and t-ffie.,,.,,tl,, LAIN S has a designated complement of 25 offiears and 378 mm!- 68

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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

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logistic Support lor WE 'IPAC .xvi if VVHITE PLAINS is a Combat Stores Ship, designed to operate with high-speed task forces and provide them with logistics support in the form of food, general supplies and repair parts so that these units may, in turn, remain at sea for prolonged periods. The ship is named for the city of lfVhite Plains, New York, the scene of a Revolutionary War battle. ' In addition to the conventional alongside replenishment method, where two ships steam on parallel courses 100 feet apart and material is transferred by wire highline, the ship has the capability of conducting vertical replenishment operations bythe use of helicopters. The two helicopters on board WHITE PLAINS ferry two tons of material per lift, suspended in cargo nets as they shuttle between ships. It takes many skills to realize the full capacity of this ship. Among these are bookkeepers, data processors, laundrymen, cooks, bakers, clerks, and barbers, as well as, typists, postmen, male nurses, warehousemen, electricians, carpenters, welders, radio operators, I gunsmiths, telephone repairmen, pilots, mechanics and supervisors. To manage this myriad of talent, WHITE PLAINS is organized into eight departments: Supply, Deck, Engineering, Dperations, lavigation, Medical, Administration, and Air Detachment. Despite the fact that the mission of the ship must receive primary attention, the safety and welfare of the crew is a major consideration as well. The ship is fully air-conditioned. Services include a ship's retail store, soda fountain, library, barber shop and recreational equipment. A doctor and staff with a modern emergency operating room, X-ray room, pharmacy and seven-bed hospital ward are . available to provide treatment on board for all crew members. ,-' I -..f,-, ' Breakin' up is so very ff Q V bam' to do 'P ' Breakin' up is so very hard to do. . . 'K croon the words of an old pop song, echoing the sentiments of the crew of the Combat Stores Ship with a person. They're all in love with a place.. . . Sasebo, japan. b Breaking up wasn't their idea, or Sasebo's either. The WHITE PLAINS, her crew, and all their dependents are moving to Yokosuka, ' japan as part of a realignment in the Navy's Dverseas Family Residence . 1 Program. As of the first of September, the WHITE PLAINS can no longer call Sasebo home . There have been good times here, since the ship first arrived in October of 1972. Picnics, Christmas parties, three New Year's celebrations, birthdays, and marriages all drew stronger and stronger the ties between the ship and the city. Learning how to live in a foreign country became a pleasant necessity for some Plainsmen and an experience not soon to be forgotten for all. japanese phrases enriched the vocabulary of some of the crew. Moving, of course, is something a sailor learns to accept, and ' sometimes even to look forward to. But each move is a melancholy experience too, for he leaves behind friends, experiences, and familiar places. Move an entire ship and this feeling is multiplied 300-fold. Although the WHITE PLAINS and her crew look forward to new A g .N t ,W adventures in Yokosuka, the memories of good times in Sasebo make this , --L if break-up very hard to do. I Rf f,., Q i w,m - X- TI Y I 69 WHITE PLAINS. This time, though, it's not a case of being in love Q W. ' .MM