Burton Island (AGB 1) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 9 text:

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.

Page 8 text:

w HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS The USS BURTON ISLAND QACB 11 is one of the eight icebreakers operated by our government, three by the Coast Guard and five by the Navy. She was built by the Western Pipe and Steel Co., San Pedro, Californ.ia. The BURTON ISLAND and the STATEN ISLAND operate on the west coast, along with the Coast Guard breaker, NORTHWIND. Named after a small island off the Atlantic Coast of Dela- ware, the BURTON ISLAND was commissioned in December, 1946. Since her commissioning she has participated in two Antarctic expeditions with Admiral Richard E. Byrd. Each year she makes two trips to the Arctic. In 1954 the BURTON ISLAND made history in the Beaufort Sea Expedition, when with the Canadian breaker, LABRADOR, she reached the famed Northwest Passage. She has the honor of being the first ship ever to reach Pt. Barrow in May, an accomplishment of the 1954 Bering Sea Expedition. An icebreaker like the BURTON ISLAND can operate in waters restricted to other ships. She- is well-built and well- manned. She displaces over 6000 tons even though she is but 268 feet in length and 63 feet wide. She is built to take a 72 degree roll and still right herself, and very often rolls 45 de- grees in open sea. It is when she rolls heavily, as only an ice- breaker can, that the crew looks forward to the ice, or in most 'til' ' ' il ' cases her home port. There is a saying on the BURTON ISLAND that she runs faster and smoother when headed south toward Long Beach. Seriously, however, the BURTON ISLAND is a warm, comfortable ship, and in her natural habi- tat-ice-she is very stable. Duty aboard the BURTON ,ISLAND is like serving on every type of ship at once. She does the work of the Service Force vessel, which she is. She has the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, the draft and armor of the battleship, the handlmg characteristics of a motor launch, the power of a sea-going tug: and the roll of a destroyer. Her two helicopters make ice recon- naissance flights to determine leads in the ice, in addition to carrying mail and providing occasional taxi servicef' HCT divers are always ready to go under to make hull and pr0- peller inspections and, when needed, to make minor repairs. In water temperatures which reach 28 degrees the divers are not at all envied by their shipmates. The icebreaker, called by Admiral Byrd the utOl1gl1f35t Ship CVCI' bulltfi is considered one of the safest ships afloat 1n eveTY respect. For this reason her crew is comfortable in both b0dY and mind, and those who have served aboard her deem it the best sea-duty in the Navy.

Page 10 text:

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.