Wisconsin (BB 64) - Naval Cruise Book

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1- iq:-ft., ifrlifl-1,4 l'0C0lllllllSSl0lllllg C 9 950 is am itupmtatnt tlntr nn nur t.alentl.m. ttnl.n. lt is tlilltrrcnt not mth. het.uuc it mutt tht- tum nl the tenttrrv lint atlm licuunc it mtv ewnti tmnr tu p.tss wltit'lt'ttntrltt'tl at great turning pnmt in mn Int-x .intl itt ottl' ttittitmzll pulity. lt this tn lnntf. Wirll tli.tt the Koretttt W'att' tlllllllllflltfll and it um. in the :utter-tlntg muntlu nl that year that nur tmttmrt .mtl tht-w til the Uttitrtl Ntttititts were tlinnnetl. then lniglttc-tml. .intl linstlly illllltltl extinguished tw the title ul lmttlf- nn the rttggetl Korean penimulm. lk-temher nl that wan out tt tlltittcse llununtntist arms iutcnening nn the mlr- nl North Korean tunes with great initi.tl unto-.t, it mili- tary cmrtpaign which had aipptntresl to he an its last stages was translmmetl intn une wlmw extent and thun- tion Metnetl alntmt without limit. People exerusl1r'tr' Wontlertd il the ttuntnunist wnrltl was nnt rmtlx for za lull-lledgetl battle. and when they lnnltetl nhnnt them lol' the tnezlns tn resist this new and ntnitintxs tlne.-it they lotlttd only small and token tnrres .amilal-ilc. Nm was Korea the only trnuhle spot. Otlrers-elscivliere in Asia. in the Middle Haut and in Eurnpe-lnnmetl nn the horilott. All Arnty. Navy and ,Xir Fnrte which had been tailored more to nur hopes than tn the realities of the post-war world could not reasotmhlx- he expected to meet all of these demautls at nnce. The result. nl course. was a tleriwion to greatly expand the :mned forces. Our Navy. whose activities in the Korean Xt':tr had demonstrated the need lor se.:tpt'm-er. soon was ordering many ships to active duty from nmthh.1llr where thet- fluid been stored years before. Thus it was that the rwiseonun mme back to lite and that December. l95!'t nut haue- lwen :ts ltntnnzttt' :ts wc were. Tllztttlts to tht! luttwiglit nntl ingctntity t'xt'ttinetl while the war against t.c'ttn.tnx gtntl vlttpqtn ttill wats. prngretsing. a prztctictll, up ttrtlntt' mt-tlmtl nl tuning :away the thousands of ships hnilt tltning tht' nun was tlevisctl. No longer was it 8 tpitfttinn nl luring ext-tytlting :away in grease, of remov- ing t-lt-tttitnl t-tpriptttettt. ztntl. in gclreral, of leaving 8 wrrti-t-quippt-tl and mating hnllt to :await a future emer- gentx. 'lhe tnutltlmlling protests permitted U8 to pre- f-ene nm lighting ships relatively intact, in something time lu lighting mntlitinn. Instead of waiting six tnnnths tn at tent' lnr at thip to rcmtntnission, wc could expr-tt tn lun-cr even nut Izngt-st war vessels in sullicientl good slmpc lu get tmtlerwaty within three months. Mu tflmt and rnztny words were spent in maling the shi 5 np and in relating the tztlc ol thc zipper fleet to 8 ttrttmn. Few nl tts tvlm saw htfr then will forget how the Wismmin ltxilzctel :ts she lay in drydock during those early :lat-t. nnly three months before her recommission- ing. As she Silt patiently on the keel blocks, her hull was all hut invisible. Her long. sleek, protruding bow! -.wept down and out ol sight to give way to the forward turrcts. Then fume the massive dull grey hulk of her stztrks and superstructure which dominated her sur- rmmdingt. :mtl finally the superstructure terminated :ihruptlj-'. leaving turret three to guard a broad and level expanse of afterdeck. On all sides was equipment and Comnm and sealing materials still 'tntttt mounts directors and other ieces of I date on the calendar which all of us prohahlv will Bllt it had not been for the mnthballs we would ' ' ' P gear. Qn every square foot of deck space tools. ml drums. power and high pressure air all of the other paraphernalia of a Navy Yard

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YA i 1.:' L A A -fff f Q7.AAf2f fflilglioi-:1:C111L1z:1if '-L 1 -r-J w--- . -'L1:5,:- H-T2?A5-ffiL--'fi4.!-J'-E:.i..J azz.-..:f...-M 12--I i' Y . f'! 5 I H y 4 F i Alto illitllll, Wllllt' till lllt' tltrtlaltltw lltt'tttit'lttw lint' llnm' lllle gilittly steel tllnltstels. tlie tt.iu'lliug ii.rtiew. llnl ilulrr ul trannies :intl li.nnint-rs, the -.lniutt tit uiitltriwtt iii smnnletl everywln-re. .Xml set-iitinglx in i-it-it I....in-ni lltatt tuttltl lit' intupieil, .i x.itilbiiil in .i muliu ww Ht Siglll. 'lilllli' .t ltt't'lllXt' ul .ltlllllt in tln- lulliwt wim- nl the wintl. Nut VCIS llillg .llll'l lllt' hlxl ul tts .tlllXt'tl itll lnntltl WC tttltlltl lwgill lu set' utttts.tttl NIQIIS nl prirgirwt Ur' stroll gut titl nl the imiimis .intl muitlier st',ils,tl1cl plttngetl into tltt' inure unnplnnteil .intl tt'iluni.il l.lKlx of tasting nur equipment ltursty nl it-ming it .mil nl pit' pairing to put it b.nl. in wnrlting mile: rl it n.m1'r up to snull. 'l'he gunner's ni.iti-s twiki-il in thi- ruin-it :ttttl lllllllllli. the liteinnttnlnren in the ilirt-rims .intl plotting rtxrttts. the lvl.tiL gang in the engineering spitfes. the l'i'l S. tntlimnen, stinelteeperw .unl lnwpiml- IIIEII-itll with the will to get things into slmpe .is quit ltlx :ts poswilrltf lor the tlity when ne nunlil inane nntler our own steznn. lint while nuns mirltetl .along it-tlniiml litres rnmt ol' ns got iluwn to brim i.n Ls .intl mi Llml mlm really big-yet never glaunnrnux-juli nl ihipping .intl pttittliltg the ship. inside atntl nut. lfmtn top tu lmttmn and from stent to stern she was at ilull wegrthereil grew. partly paint. partly plastic' pr'esersiaitise which had been sprayed onto the covers of equipment so :is tn rnnke at weztthertight seal. lt watsn't long :alter we had rom- menced chipping, scraping. brushing. :md painting that growing patches of red :tntl yellow begun to blossom out all over, only to be covered shortly afterwards by coats of haze grey. Meanwhile. down in the tlrydock. the yard workmen had been blasting the bnrnztcles and niio n to colors io ooundod lor tho first tlmo In 2l,3 yooro. pit'wix.itrxi' ltinn our uinleunles in Ill't'll1ll'illltlll for xt in-ii. .nn -il p.nnt. Nl.inx til us there spent days .lit-p Nunn nnili-i slum-lling up the xstntl whirl! so tritium-li ibil this job, lt uns early one told :ind liiltttl nifnnrng .iltt-t the Inst tuitl ul lltllltllll pitiltl lttttl iliiml tlmt nt- lelt tln- ilrulml. :intl were towed clown- .nt-.ini tu tln' berth nliere we would complete the tztslt ul rii.ntix.num .nnl, .it the beginning ol hlilllll, signin brim inn inriiriimiiiii pc-un.rnt. l'nlintnn.ttt-lx the pinbli-ms ul retonnniasioning iii-rr nut mnlnn-il solely lu rt-antivaititig the guns, rattlzirs, .intl m.nn engines lu getting equipment into work- ing onli-r. lbeir- mu also the problem ol' getting the tltipk ininp.im into working order. This was no small lub, lt was .i problem in mgzitrilartiuti :intl lezttlership. Nl.inx nl ns h.ul .irriw-il right :it the beginning, but nuns nlllfts were :arriving in tlrziits :is time welll by. Nnmll numbers were experietttetl regtllitfs, but most nl ns nerr' either just retatlletl to :relive duty or fresh tint of limit rump. .XII ol these factors had to be l-ep: in mind in tr-sing to nrgamize the divisions and our inilixiiluzil ellnrts so that we would be able to get the job dime with the greatest speed. ,M l-'ebruziry flew by more and more was accom- plished until the printipzil job still to be completed was that nl getting the ship ready for her Erst real paint job. Then the pressure really was on. But finally one Friday afternoon the preparations were complete and by Momlziy morning we had a glistening new coat of haze grey. On March 3rd, 1951, the USS Wisconsin was oilicially recommissioned ......