Bremerton (CA 130) - Naval Cruise Book

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Bremerton is a man-of-war. She exists, above all, forthe protection of the interests of the United States and her citizens-which includes the interests of free people throughout the World. ln these times of uneasy peace, while her guns are silent-but present and ready-along the borders of the Free World, she does not fight. Yet she is ever an active and effective weapon in the great struggle among mankind. She is a tangible representative of the American way of life and of doing things. She is reassurance where there is doubt, strength where there is weakness, an open hand where there is want. She is a symbol-both to free people who gaze at her with wonder and admiration, and to resolcte men who watch her with envy and respect-of a nation determined to foster peace. She is an extra tie in the bonds between old allies. She is an ambassador, making and keeping friends for the United States. To us, of course, she is much more than a sleek gray warship of trim line and effortless power. She is more than a threat of retaliation or a promise of protection. She is a home and a way of life. She's taken us places we most likelylwould never have reached otherwise, and made us a lot of friends we'd never have met if it hadn't been for her. She has taken us from one corner of the wide Pacific to the other- from California to Japan, from Canada to Australia. It seems to have become a habit with her that whenever there is something special going on-be it Seafair in Seattle, New Years in Yokosuka, or the XVI Olympiad in Melbourne -Bremerton will be there. W -

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ski , ti. gn. ,r J .4 -64201 TE ii- at ,, te F P . L 5 l The heavy cruiser U.S.S' Bremerton ICA 13Ol, named for Bremert 2 July, 1944, at Camden, New Jersey, and was commissioned 29 April, 1 ,yvvtf Shipyard. She was accepted on behalf of the U.S. Navy by Rear Admiral, l ant of the Fourth Naval District and turned over to her first commanding Offic M Her name resulted from a spirited war bond contest between the l Bremerton, Washington, and the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Valleio, C began in February, 1943. Puget Sound employees set a new record, with pay going into war bonds, to win the contest. After a brief fitting out period, Bremerton made her shakedown cruise Bay, Cuba. At the end of this shakedown period, she became the flagship c Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, for his South American inspection to Shortly thereafter, Bremerton was transferred to the Pacific Fleet. The began at Jinsen, Korea. ln November of 1946 she returned to the United Stat P visited the ports Shanghai, Tsingtao, Chinwangtao, Woosung, and Taku. On decommissioned at San Francisco, California, becoming a member of the Pacinc Reserve rleet. Recommissioned shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War, she ioined the U. S. Seventh Fleet in Korean waters. Her seagoing artillery blasted enemy positions at Wonsan, Koio, Chongiin, and Changion Hang, Korea. On 13 September, 1952, she was relieved and headed for Long Beach, California, her first combat tour completed. ' I The next seven months were devoted to overhaul, leave for the crew, drills and gunnery exercises. ln April, 1953, Bremerton again departed Long Beach for the Western Pacific and the Seventh Fleet. Upon ioining the Task Force, her guns pounded enemy installation, troops and railroads. Communist guns retaliated but caused only slight damage to the ship. After returning to Long Beach, Bremerton commenced a Shipyard overhaul. When the overhaul was completed she began extensive training and on 4 May, 1954, departed for another tour inthe Western Pacific. A July highlight of this cruise was a three day visit to Hakodate, Japan, honoring Commodore Perry's arrival in Japan nearly 100 years previously. Toward the end of the cruise, a Hong Kong, B.C.C., visit was interrupted to evade one of the seven typhoons which threatened during the cruise. On 17 October, 1954, Bremerton returned to Long Beach. Immediately following the Christmas holi- days she commenced another overhaul at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. There she underwent a thorough revamping under the Navy's program of improved habitability, with every attention turned to improving the living conditions of the crew, in addition to other alterations to modernize her fighting capabilities. After a rigid training period ,under the direction of Commander, Fleet Training Group, San Diego, Bremerton returned to Long Beach and sailed from the United States 12 July, 1955, as fiagship of Rear Admiral D.M. Tyree, USN, Commander Cruiser Division One, for duties in the Far East. During the cruise, Bremerton visited ports in Hawaii, Japan, Okinawa, Formosa, Hong Kong and Singapore, B.C.C., and participate in many training operations with Task'Force 77. For two weeks during October, 1955, Bremerton was the temporary flagship of Vice Admiral A. M. Pride, USN, Commander Seventh Fleet. 5 On 25 November, 1955, Rear Admiral H. L. Collins, USN, relieved Rear Admiral D. M. Tyree, USN, as Commander Cruiser Division One. Bremerton returned to Long Beach 12 February 1956. On 28 February, Captain Charles C. Kirkpatrick, USN, relieved Captain Ray R. Conner, USN, as Commanding Officer. From March through June, 1956, the ship operated off the West Coast of the United States. During this period she made two calls in the'San Francisco Bay area: once in April during the celebration of the 25th year of progress since the greatlearthquake and fire of 1906, and again in June as a part of the First Fleet, then conducting training operations, which composed the greatest armada in the Bay since World wot n. ' This cruise book takes over from there. fir 'fwfr JW riff f1,J,Q.f,0aM-1 fine , ,Lv-MAV ,ee JMZWVAJ, Geyer 0072277 ' V72 zaw-fs.