Casa Grande (LSD 13) - Naval Cruise Book

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H ,. 1 p s. sec p p .fn Cuff? Port C3h'f?s'.s p New YsfQfn'fNew Yl,Yl'ki'ff,:'1 Q ' e at -'A. Fgsiy M AN opnv LETTER TO nm orrrcnzsp ring s? 9 JH During the periodcovereq adn 'Qhas Steamed wo l h 'interesting experiences. Most of us with its North Atlantic gales, the cogieentration of 'ice we gingerly threaded our I-Jay towards lfhule, or ys and t ng cold nights in Sondrestrometsfjord. Less perhaps, but more emcting were our Amphibious Exercises in the Caribbean and South Atlantic These were highlighted by such events as the' night landing at Vieques and our operations with the Ahqy off Pendleton. A We have loaded almost every conceivable type of vehicle in our well M t from an Air Force snow plow to an Almy Bare. In landing exercises and on training cruises We have carried Marines, Army, Naval Reserves, Midshipmen and Boy Scouts. These passengers have all been impressed by your consideration for them and have helped spread the Casa Grande' s reputation as a friendly hard working ship. Between operations we have managed to get OUP fail' Share ai, g liberty and recreation 5 and thanks to our new found home at the Naval Ahlphibious Base, we have even managed to get a pier most of the time. 47.1 in all, I would say that the Casa Grande had a very sl10ceSSfUl .Yea and I think that the overall mark of Excellent On Our' recent Operational Readiness Inspection is a well deserved tribute, to your fine team spirit, professional competence, and plain hard work. No Captain could have asked for a' finer sh,-Lp's company! Good luck, and best wishes for an even happier 5 Cruise next year. i Z . . SEAQWJ

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'Q 77 i THE CAPTAIN ZCOMMANDER wn.uAM o. SPEARS, JR. fCHATTANOOC-JA, TENNESSEE Commander William O. Spears, Jr., followed fhe example of his fafher now a refired rear adm' l . :ra , in choosing a naval career. Born in Chaffanooga, Tennessee, abouf half his boyhood days were spenf in S h . . . . . . ouf America where his fafher served on fhree naval missions fo Peru and Brazil during fhe l92O's. Refurning from Peru in I93O, young Spears complefed high school af his birfhplace and was, by fhen, decided in his ambifion fo become a naval officer. l-le passed The examinafion and enfered +he U. S. Naval Academy in fhe summer of l934. Commissioned an ensign upon graduafion in June l938, he leff fhe cl s- , as room for his firsf four of dufy aboard 'rhe baffleship Colorado. Two years lafer, upon accepfance of his l' f f app :ca ion or Asiafic dufy, Ensign Spears was ordered fo 'rhe USS Pope lDD 225l. Affer an apprenfice- ship as firsf lieufenanf and commissary officer, he became forpedo and communicafions officer and was promofed fo LT JG in l94l. Operafing asa unif offhe Asiafic fleei' fhe Pope was anchored in lvlanil- Bay when fhe Ja an f- . a p ese a faclced Pearl Harbor. ln fhe early monfhs of fhe war. shorf of men. ships and planes, fhe navy ufilized ifs I 1 n T I 1 1 p u n - y a weapon e splrlf fo win. Before winning, however, if losf mosf of fhe Aslaflc fleef, includ- ing fhe Pope. which was sunlc by bombing and surface fire on I March I942 while escorfing fhe damaged HMS Exefer foward Ceylon. Several days passed before fhe Pope's crew, driffing abouf fhe embaffled wafers, was spoffed and falcen capfive by a Japanese desfroyer. Firs+ confined on Celeloes Island, a few of fhe crew were senf fo Japan where fhey were inferned in a cam which fh o d d l p e c mman er ryy labels. Nof as bad as some. Three and a half years laferfhe war ended and Commander Spears was released orfly affer his refurn he mef his fufure wife, Marie O l-lara, of Norwich, N. Y.. and was married five monfhs lafer. By July of I946 he was back on acfive dufy, insfrucfing midshipmen af Annapolis in seaman- ship and navigafion. Then, in Sepfember. I949, he served for an eighfeen-monfh period as execufive offi- cer of fhe USS Fremonf IAPA 441 and for one year affer fhaf in command of fhe USS lsherwood IDD 5201. Commander Spears' warfime experience resulfing from fhe navy's fragic unpreparedness af fhe oufsef of World War ll had primed him for his nexf assignmenf: Readiness and fraining secfion of sfaff. Cinclanffleef, where he spenl' fwo years prior fo affending fhe Armed Forces Sfaff Colle d I I ge an assum- Ing his presenf dufies. Slf1Ce l'1lS faking Command of fhe USS Casa Grande lLSD-l3l on 2 Augusf l954, fhe ship has Success- fully mef all commifmenfs-from 'frying operafions in fhe Arcfic fo exacfing assaulf landing in Hue Carri- biin,.The vyorlc ainoard ship during fhese operafions has been balanced wifh a liberal amoun+ of liberfy w ie in por 1. . , ringing a high degree of morale fo fhe crew. The cap+ain's calm manner and consid- eraflon for his men have prompfed many fo decide in favor of a naval career.

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,,- ,-,-1-,v- r ' - , l EXECUTIVE 'OFFICER LT. eEo'rieE T. WALKER . CLINTON, MONTANA Lieufenanf George T. Walker came 'foighis commission fhrough The hawsepipen-serving over eiqhf years as a boafswainsmafe before being 'selecfed as an officer. Born near Spokane, Washingfon, his fa- fher's railroading life kepf fhe family moving fhroughouf fhe Norfheasf . . . finally seffling fhe Walkers in Missoula, Monfana. The lieufenanf complefed high school in Missoula and enlisfed in fhe Navy in l935. Affer recruif fraining, Seaman Second Class Walker wen+aboard fhe USS Ranger lCV 4l. Reminiscing on fhe rigid prewar Navy, he recalls he became coxswain affer faking fhe examinafion several fimesf' Aboard fhe carrier four years, he lafer was among fhe crew fha+ commissioned fhe USS Albemarle lAV 53 in I94O. ln February, I943, Boafswainsmafe Firsf Class Walker was fransferred fo fhe Pacific and infro- duced fo amphibious warfareaboard fhe LST 353, seeing acfion in The Solomons. The war years, demanding officers wifh a pracfical knowledge of seamanship, changed Chief Boaf- swainsmafe Vifalker fo ensign in ,Se-pfember, I943. From April, I944, unfil fhe summer of l945, he was com- municafions officer of LST 554, fhen, shiffing fo fhe Aflanfic, he became execufive officer of LST 983. Lieufenanf lJGl Walker 'rock command of LST 391 in January, I946, and lafer commanded LST.5do. Affer 'ren years of sea'du+,,, he insfrucfed in Naval science af 'rhe U. S. Merchanf Marine' Academy, King's Poinf, New York, from I947 'ro I95l. Aboa'd fhe famed Baffleship Missouri, he served for fwo years as combaf informafioriicenfer officer before affending fhe Universify of Minnesofa in l953. Lieufenanf Walker became execufive officer of +he USS Casa Grande lLSD- I 3l on 30 Neyember l954. The living condifions abpard,.sh,ip have been improved by fhe execufive officer's close donfacf wifh fhe crew-a reason for his popularify wifhfhem.