Burton Island (AGB 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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NEW CGMMANDING OFFICER CDR. JOSEPH E. REEDY On 16 September, at Pt. Barrow, Alaska, the new commanding officer came aboard the BURTON ISLAND, arriving from thg States after completing the Arctic Geography Course of McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. On 28 September he as. sumed command of the ship in an impressive ceremony at sea, Captain Reedy was born in Texas, attended elementary and high school in Colton, California. After one and onqlhalf years as a white-hat he entered the Naval Academy in 1937, successfully passing a competitive examin-ation in the entire fleet. He was commissioned Ensign upon his graduation in 1941. Our new skipper has served on the Carriers LANGLEY and LEXINGTON, the Cruiser SAN DIEGO, and the Destroycrs HAILEY and TAUSSIG. He has served in the Operations oflice of the Port Director, Pearl Harbor, and as the head of the Surface Tactical Unit in the Ollice of the Chief of Naval Operations. Being a destroyer man, as the saying goes, Captain Reedy will not have to get used to the heavy roll of the BURTON ISLAND, nor tothe rigorous duty which -she requires in her ice operations. To the new commanding officer, his wife, and his two children we of the BURTON ISLAND extend our most sincere welcome as they become a part of the tradition of our great ship. Anaheim, California, will be their new home in California.

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sxscurlve OFFICERS O , Coming aboard the BURTON ISLAND in June of 1954, just in time to- make the now famous summer' cruise into the Beaufort Sea, CDR. R. W. Dale, Ir., has served as the ship's executive ofh- cer. His expert ship handling and his knowledge of the sea has been borne out during the course of his service on this ship. - Joining the Navy in 1927, just out of high school, the EXEC tried to make the Naval Academy but, as he said, I bilged out. e He later was' commissioned a reserve oiiicer after much experience as a seaman, fireman, mate and engi- neer. He has his Chief Engineer's and Master's Licenses. The Merchant Marine, Coast and Geo- detic Survey, Army Engineers, and Fisheries Re- search and Patrol. During World War II he served as Command- ing Oflicer on LST's in the European Theater of Operations, and since that time, prior to being assigned to the BURTON ISLAND, he has served as' assistant to the Director of Training in the 12th Naval District. The Commander has many yarns to spin and tells many .interestin stories of his civilian and military wartime ex eriences, proving that oining the Navy, one can truly see the world. COMMANDING OFFICER CDR. E. A. TRICKEY, USN After two years at Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington, E. A. Trickey was admitted to the United States Naval Academy, from which he was graduated in 1938. Being commissioned Ensign upon graduation, CDR. Trickey, recently selected for the rank of Captain, began a career which has enabled him to see naval action in both the Atlantic and the Pacific Theaters of I Opera- tion during World War II. In the Korean Cam- paign he saw service in both the destroyer and cruiser forces. The Cruisers ASTORIA and TO- LEDO were included in his recent tours of duty, prior to serving in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington 25, D. C. V Upon his detachment fromthe BURTON ISLAND, on which he has served since November, 1953, CDR. Trickey was ordered to duty in the Otlice of the Chief of Naval Operations, as he says, to pilot a desk. To the departing skipper and his family who have called Pendleton, Oregon, their home, we extend our bestwishes as they leave for our nation's capital city.

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BERING SEA EXPEDITION On Tuesday 5 April at 1812 hours the BURTON ISLAND em barked from the North Island Naval Arr Statlon fuel pier ln San Dleoo The annual sprin cruise was now under way The purpose of the expedltlon this year was to cgnduct an oceanographic survey 1n the Bering Sea durlng the spring break up of the ICB to study the 106 coverage from which future predlc tions on ICC and weather could be made and to test the various pieces of equipment under cllmatlc conditions found during th1s period On 19 April the BURTON ISLAND steamed through Unimak Pass into the Bering Sea after having relieved the Coast Guard icebreaker NORTHWIND at Dutch Harbor 1n the Aleu trans On 27 May after spend1n the major portion of our sprlng operation in the Berlng Sea we again sailed through Un1mak Pass en route home to Long Beach our home port While operatmg north of the Aleutians the BURTON ISLAND proceeded under lnstructions from the U S Hydrographic Office Under these orders the ship salled west to the International Date Line east to the Yukon Delta 'area and up to w1th1n 20 mlles of King Island on the north Ice cond1t1ons prevented any further northerly progress The 1ce was heavier covered more water surface and had more snow on It than the year previous when the BURTON ISLAND reached Pt Barrow ln May Snow on the 106 reduced the lmpact of the shlp on the 1ce and with a broken propeller resultmg from trying to back out of the 1ce when beset the shlp just could not reach King Island With one engine out of commission completely and another not operatmg properly the BURTON ISLAND then headed south toward Un1mak and home where she would be made ready for the big summer operatlon to the Beaufort Sea It was a happy occaslon whenf on Monday morning 6 June at 0711 the BURTON ISLAND t1ed up at the pler ln San Diego, greeted by the wives and sweethearts who drove down early from Long Beach What are our memories? There are many to relate, all of which will afford topics for conversatlon whenever sea stories are told There will be the story of the race with the polar bear, a race which the bear won hands down. There are the parties on the ice off Nome, where we were beset for a few days in very heavy ice, and where we had to replace a helicopteris engine before it could be returned to the ship. But to all of us, especially those of us who were making the trip for the first time, the greatest memories will be those of the vast sea of ice, white and brilliant, and from 6-8 feet thick, of the rolling seas that made many of us weary, and the beautiful Easter morning in the inland passage. It was there that we found ourselves in the arms of nature, so happy to be alive.