Long Beach (CGN 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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This upkeep period combined shipyard maintenance with important at-sea exercises. The workload was broken by a midshipmen cruise to Seattle Washington where crewmembers enjoyed the city s outstanding hospitality from June 29 to July I On August 22 LONG BEACH completed a large fleet exercise which tested her combative re- sponse to submarine surface and air attack that warfare vulnerability planes representing enemy aircraft kept the ship at a defensive sharpness that challenged the talent and experience of her weapons and operations personnel. In September 13 days were spent alongside the tender USS GOMPERS at North island San Diego for important repairs. After final readiness measures were taken in Long Beach the ship got underway for its sixth WestPac deployment on November 7 1974. 5 were sometimes simultaneous. During the anti-air 1 After a brief five month readiness period, LONG BEACH's fifth WestPac deployment began on May 1, 1973. Enroute to Pearl Harbor, the crew enjoyed the attentions of the Navy Recruiting Command working with Columbia Pictures to film recruiting commercials using LONG BEACH crewmembers in the cast. Upon leaving Hawaii, LONG BEACH entered Japanese waters for the first time on May 20, enroute to Yokosuka Naval Station for a port call. Because it was one of the few times a nuclear powered ship of such size had entered Yokosuka, members of the Japanese press, as well as important community and military officials, visited the ship. LONG BEACH also stopped at Hong Kong, Kaohsiung Taiwan Manila and Subic Bay during the 416 month cruise the first in the post Vietnam War environment Upon completing three line periods the ship steamed for leave and upkeep in Long Beach where she arrived September 22 1973 .U . lllll ll l lllllllllllllll Illllllllll llllllll g 9 1 1 J 1 9 1IlllllIllllllIlllllllllllllllll yy i llllllliilillillllllillillllllil1

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After participating in two large fleet exercises and improving her equipment during two yard periods, LONG BEACH left for her second West- Pac deployment on April 15, 1968. On June 15, Captain William A. Spencer relieved Captain Wallace. During this deployment, the ship served as PIRAZ and Strike Support ship, assisting aircraft from Seventh Fleet carriers to reach targets in Vietnam and return safely. With operational commitments and port 'visits at Hong Kong, Perth, Australia, Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, completed, the ship arrived in Long Beach on November 16. On August 11, 1969, LONG BEACH left on her third WestPac deployment, during which she proved her worth as a Search and Rescue Ship on the second of three line periods in Tonkin Gulf. On November 15, the helicopter assigned to LONG BEACH rescued a pilot who bailed out after his aircraft had lost oil pressure. The pilot was in the water less than a minute before pick-up. The ship visited Singapore, Manila, and Sattahip, Thailand, between line periods and returned to Long Beach on February 12. LONG BEACH changed her homeport March 1, 1970, to Vallejo, California, where she began an ex- tensive maintenance and upkeep period in the Mare Island-Vallejo Shipyard. On March 28, 1972, homeported again in Long Beach, the ship left for its fourth WestPac deploy- ment. She joined Task Force 77 in Tonkin Gulf on April 13. During this 816 month deployment, the Combat Team achieved several MIG fRussian-built fighter jetl kills. The Search and Rescue Team, not to be out- done, rescued 17 downed pilots. Captain Frank R. Fahland relieved Captain Spencer on September 25, 1972, and two months later LONG BEACH left the Gulf for home. The New Year found the ship moored at Long Beach Naval Shipyard. Besides the maintenance and repair of ship's machinery and equipment, a closed circuit TV system was installed during upkeep there. Over 50 hours of color TV shows, feature films, and video tapes are air- ed each week underway.

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On 7 November the nuclear-powered cruiser USS LONG BEACH got underway from Long Beach, California, on her sixth WestPac. Embarked was Rear Admiral William A. Myers, Cruiser-Destroyer Group Three and his staff. During our transit to Hawaii, Bill Anderson, authorfplaywright, talked with many of the crew as he sought ideas for background for a future book he may write. Upon the ship's arrival in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, he departed. After a short 2 day stay, LONG BEACH was underway again. During our transit to Guam, we conducted missile firings on a range off Hawaii. Our journeyx to Guam was interrupted by an emergency message directing us to aid a sick crewmember of the Norweigan tanker CALEO. LONG BEACH's course was altered and in 12 hours we rendezvoused with CALEO. ln heavy, choppy seas the CALEO crewmember, an American woman of 27, was transferred to LONG BEACH by whaleboat. After a high speed run to Guam, we transferred out patient to a hospital in Guam with the aid of a Navy tug. While in Guam, we relieved the USS CHICA- GO, and three days later, we were underway to Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines. For ten days we spent an upkeep period in Subic Bay. Then, it was underway again enroute to Sing- apore. For five days the crew of LONG BEACH enjoyed the sights of Singapore. Then, it was back to Subic Bay for the Christmas holidays. On January 7, the LONG BEACH departed Su- bic Bay enroute to the Indian Ocean. After proceeding up the Malacca Straits, we entered the Indian Ocean in the middle of January. Enroute to Diego Garcia, LONG BEACH and her men crossed the Equator, and with due ceremony, the pollywogs aboard LONG BEACH were christened shellbacks. After receiving mail by helicopter from Diego Garcia, LONG BEACH, accompanied by the USS ENTERPRISE CVAN-65, proceeded northward to conduct operations in the Arabian Sea. On February 5th we dropped anchor off Port Vic- toria, in the Seychelle Islands. There for two days, despite high winds and choppy seas, the men of LONG BEACH had liberty ashore. After weighing anchor, we proceeded to the island of Mauritius, where we stood offshore in the event we would be