America (CV 66) - Naval Cruise Book

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.- 22.-L f. . '3T7..f, Y , .,..g . ,-W 1 8 - , , -1. .. g M . ..f':.-Qwffil'-efw! ' ' . A -QK.1.H . .--- J:-a'.1-Y--M -.1 ,h R M . f,. , il . ...,5,f,i: ,,. ... . 4' 'Y -Q Jkt?-'A C' , Liberty call and family fun at Busch Gardens -:Iwi - 1 'zfiz-Ji- fs 'fx-271'-Fil' 2 wf :Dt i i 2 i i l l v L 1 i l 5 , S S I E i l Q V, in 1 4 .-. Iu-v.-x.- . Q -1 . In December of 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt was in Hamp- ton Roads aboard the yacht May- flower, He bade farewell to the 15,000 men and officers of the six- teen white-painteycl battleships of the rAtlantic Fleet i which were abont to begin their famous mile round -the fworlcl fcruiseg i Hey also greeted their returnto, Hajrlp? ton Roads, alongrwithi an estimated 6o,oQQ spectators lir1ingfthe,sfhore.l 7 N aval aviation had its the HWPYOS1 lRQ2121Sr this fime- 011 NOW111bQflrll14fr1fI19?9s' Eugene 'Elyvflewfarrifoavrfycycllfifiexa Curfissa biplwfbff the BmnghamffH25aiandedtfisafelfifivf mPf!9fCS atryt later,yyrrearfiars9m62ff?2QaChl MSCS aff-Wi1100shbY+ Sm mqnfhsciageg Jamaryttr1ragj1911gy Ely we merermadaahlsfewrawhea, , f, , f . .,, , , , 1 he rnaclelthe first airplaneqlanglgig on a Ship, T the rarraoilredfg Pennsylvania, in 1 Psanfl P1-anciseoa Harbor. r a Below: Hang gliders take to the air.

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The work of the shipyard continues through the night. The Navy was slow to rebuild after the Civil War. Congress began rebuilding the navy in 1883, but it was not until 1892 that the Norfolk Naval Yard became involved in new construction. During that year it launched the first two ships of the modern navy - protected cruiser Raleigh and the battleship Texas, the United States' first all- steam vessels. Interest in the Norfolk Naval Yard was heightened the next year by the arrival at Hampton Roads of approximately thirty American and foreign naval ships commem- orating the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America by Christo- pher Columbus. Vessels participat- ing were from Spain, Great Britain, Brazil, Germany, Russia, Italy, France, and Holland. Serenity. Fleet repair - an ongoing job l li The workhorse of any port - the tugboat,

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Hampton Roads was not affect- ed much by the outbreak of World War l in 1914. However, in early 1917, Germany opened a campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare, extending to the American shores. On April 6th of that year, the Unit- ed States declared war on Germa- ny. When President Wilson issued his call to war, the residents of Hampton Roads answered the call. They thronged around the navy re- cmiters' offices and cheered when recruiters pleaded for enlistments during a mass meeting at the Colo- nial Theatre in Norfolk. In May of 1917, a convoy of merchant ships laden with desper- ately-needed food and war sup- plies sailed from Hampton Roads and reached Britain without a sin- gle loss. Its journey marked the effective use of the convoy system for transporting goods and troops to England and France, and led to the establishment of the Naval Overseas Transportation Service for the purpose of moving supplies to Europe. This fleet operated largely out of Hampton Roads, us- ing both naval transports and mer- chant ships. World War I led as well to the establishment of the Naval Operat- ing Base. Onjune 28, 1917, Presi- dent Wilson signed a proclamation establishing the Naval Operating Base, Hampton Roads, and autho- rizing the navy to take possession of 474 acres of land in Norfolk, including the Jamestown Exposi- tion site, to build a Naval Opem- ing Base, including piers, store- houses, oil fuel storage and recreation grounds for the fleet. Work on this project commenced on the Fourth of july of that year, and within thirty days, houses had been constructed for 7,500 men, along with mess halls, store houses, utilities and road systems. The base was commissioned on October 12, 1917: by Armistice Day 1918, 34.1113 personnel were assigned to the base. ,.,--',. -.. -K ..,. ra. ta.t 5 rm'