Albany (CA 123) - Naval Cruise Book

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while in tine Mediterranean, tine Albany put in at ports in the following countries: Sardinia, Sicily, France, Italy, Greece, Crete, Turkey, and the British Crown Colony of Gibraltar, arriving on January 18, 1951. On the 19th, the Albany was released from the sixth fleet to proceed to Rio De Janiero to participate in a celebration in honor of the in- auguration of the new president-elect of Brazil Radm Holloway, Jr. , USN, was detailed to act as United States rep- resentative at the inauguration. While in transit from Gibraltar to Rio, the ship crossed the Equator, thereby changing the status of all polliwog s to trusty shellbacks, January 25, 1951 . The Albany returned to the states on February 16, 1951 for leave and upkeep prior to engaging in fleet exercises from In middle of March until the last of April . On May 12, 1951 Captain E. M. Eller took over command of the USS Albany, Radm Holloway, Jr., transferred his flag to the USS Missouri on May 19, 1951 . X- ■)(■)( On the first day of June the ship sailed up the Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis, Md. , to embark a load of U. S. Na— al Academy Midshipmen for their annual summer training cruise. She returned to Norfolk on the 3rd of June where she imbarked some more NROTC Midshipmen. On the 4th of June the Albany got under way as a unit of the 1951 Midship- men practice squadron in company with the USS Missouri and the USS Wisconsin. It was a cruise enjoyed by all hands, notwithstanding the fact that we were a little crowded, during which we made the ports of Copenhagen, Denmark and Rotterdam, Holland. The Albany returned to the states via the paradise for ail U. S. Navy men, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where her crew availed themselves of all the facilities of the fleet training group for the purpose of training the Midshipmen. After returning to Norfolk, Va. and discharging her complement of Midshipmen, on July 27, 1951, the Albany was moved to the Navy Yard at Portsmouth, for a short overhaul prior to commencing another tour of duty in the Mediterran- ean as a unit of the sixth fleet, leaving Norfolk on September 8, 1951 . The First port of coll for the 1951 Med cruise was Lisbon, Portugal, the city of Intrigue and mystery. Other ports which were visited by the Albany Included Cannes, France; Naples, Italy; Augusta, Sicily; Athens, Greece; Istanbul, Turkey; Algiers, Algeria; Suda Bay, Crete and Gibraltar She returned to the states on December 21, when the Christ- mas leaves started for the officers and men. - ,y

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Gunnery Department CDRC.E. NELSON Gunnery Officer From 8 1 50 to 12 5 51 LCDR W. D. CALHOUN Gunnery Officer From 12 5 51 to LT E.W. LAPINE First Lieutenant 1ST LT E. DZIALO Commending Officer (Marine Detachment) GUNNERY DEPARTMENT The effectiveness of a fighting ship of the navy ultimately is gauged by its ability to damage and destroy the enemy. Success in such a venture depends upon the various weapons employed and upon the skill of the officers and men v ho use them. Responsibility for the maintenance and efficient operation of the ship ' s ordnance equipment rests with the Gun- nery Officer. His principal assistants are the main Battery Officer, Air Defense Officer, and Fire Control Officer. The Gunnery Department is the largest department of this ship, and is broken down into several divisions. The main battery (8 ) is handled by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd divisions: The secondary battery (5 ) by the 4th and 5th divisions, and the anti-aircraft battery is assigned to the 6th and 7th divisions (3 ) and marines (20mm). The upkeep and operation of the ship ' s delicate fire control equipment is the responsibility of the F Division. Since our ship does not have an air de- partment, the embarked helicopter and drone units are administered by the Gunnery Department. In addition to the foregoing, the varied and never-ending duties of deck seamonship are administered by the Gun- nery Officer, assisted by the First Lieutenant. Ship ' s boats, rigging, care and maintenance of al I deck equipment, painting, transportation, garbage disposal, crew ' s berthing, and supervision of seamanship evolutions such as fueling , and provisioning are the direct responsibility of the first lieutenant. Like any other department, the extent of gunnery is limited by the type ship of which it is a part. We of the Al- bany are fortunate in having a Gunnery Department of sufficient scope to acquaint us with most of the methods of modern Gunnery and Seamanship. Just how well this department functions is attested to by the fact that the Albany ranked first among cruisers of the Atlantic Fleet in Gunnery for the fiscal year 1951 . H. W. Cook, YNTI