Albany (CA 123) - Naval Cruise Book

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FORWARD We ' ve always been impressed with Abraham Lincoln ' s famous words By the people, of the people, and for the people. We have done everything and anything to make this cruise book ... our 1951 Mediterranean Cruise ... by the crew, Of the crew and for the crew. On 3 September 1951, we left Norfolk, Virginia on a cruise chuck-full of maneu- vers, exercises, tactics and ports. Ten or twenty years from now, we ' ll remember some of the hard work we did and glimpses of the fun we had. We are hoping that the following pages will refresh for you, as well as ourselves, the bright memory that time dulls all too quickly. The Staff

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DEDICATED TO THE THOUGHT THAT A little space may we take; And one request may we make. Send to Heaven a prayer, That some day may we meet there.

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s K I u P R P E K Captain Eller was born in Marion, Virginia, on January 23, 1903, and attended the North Wllkesboro High School, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, and North Carolina State College, before entering the Naval Academy where he graduated in 1925. He attained the rank of Captain in 1944 to rank from July 20, 1943. In September 1946, he ad- vanced to the rank of Commodore, reverting to the grade of Captain in December 1947, when this rank was discontinued. After serving in the battleships USS Utah and USS Texas, Captain Eller went to the undersea side of the Navy, going from submarine school to the USS S-33 in China. Subsequently he taught at the Naval Academy, went afloat again for three years to organize and conduct the Fleet Machine Gun School in USS Utah and returned to the Naval Academy for duty in the Departments of History and English and Ordnance and Gunnery. From September 1940 until May 1941, he served as Assistant Naval Attache and Anti-Aircraft, Ordnance and Radar Observer in the British Fleet and development stations. After a brief tour in Fleet Training and Bureauof Ordnance, he joined the USS Saratoga, serving as her Gunnery Officer in Pacific operations until May 1942. While she was under repair following torpedo damage, Captain Eller was detached and served for the next three years on Admiral Nimitz ' s staff as Assistant Gunnery Officer and Training Officer. For a time also he wrote CincPac ' s war reports. For these services he received the Legion of Merit with the following citation: For exceptionally meritorious conduct, .during operations against enemy Japanese forces in the Pacific war area from May 1942 to April 1945, analyzing war reports and developing, expanding and supervlsingall types of training, particularly anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, amphibious and shore bombardment. Commodore (then Captain) Eller participated in landings on Makin and Okinawa and in other combat operations which led to imporved methods and development of new weapons , In his constant attention to improvements in weapons and armament of his ships and In his supervision of fleet ammunitions supply , he rendered vital service in developing and maintaining the com- bat readiness of the Fleet... and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service . During the Summerand Fall of 1945 he commanded the Attack Transportation USS Clay, participating In three occu- pation moves into Japan and China. He reported in April 1946 to the Office of Public Information, Navy Department, where he served as Deputy Director until July 31, 1946, when he became director. He held the rank of Commodore until December 1947, when this rank terminated in accordance with the Officer Personnel Act of 1947. After completing the National War College Course from August 1948 to June 1949, he reported for duty in the Strat- egic planning section of the Joint Chiefs of Staff One of his first duties there was to accompany the joint chiefsof staff totheother NATO countries in connection withestablishing the NATO military organization. In August 1950, he became commander of the middle east force operating in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea and Indian Ocean areas. Upon completion of this tour of duty in April 1951 he reported to USS Albany as commanding officer. Captain Filer ' s wife, the former Miss Agnes Fogle Pfohl of Winston Salem, North Carolina, resides at 2 Kent Road, Wardour, Annapolis, Maryland, when he is at sec. Captain Eller has published several prize winning articles in theU. S. Naval Institute Proceedings, the latest in 1950 being Will We Need A Navy To Win?