Cascade (AD 16) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE USS CASCADE (AD-16) A 15,000 ton destroyer tender, she was built by the Western Pipe and Steel Company of South San Francisco, California. The keel was laid 17 July, 1941, intended for a passenger- freighter, and was turned over to the Navy in the early part of 1942. She was launched the 6th of June, 1942, and sponsored by Mrs. Charles W. Crosse, wife of RADM. Charles W. Crosse, USN. On 12 March, 1943, the USS CASCADE was commissioned with Captain S. B. Ogden, USN, as her first commanding officer. There were at that time 701 officers and men aboard. As a destroyer tender, the Cascade ' s role in the war was that of repairing, overhauling, and supplying combatant ships of the Navy. Although designed primarily to handle destroyer type vessels, the Cascade offered her services to more than 1033 ships, and of these, many were serviced as many as four times each. The most hazardous area in which she operated was in and around Okinawa during June of 1945. There, she made herself available to ships of that theatre, and fulfilled her motto of We Serve Who Need , by putting back into fighting shape many vessels so that they could again carry the fight to our enemy. On 28 March, 1946, she departed from the South Pacific, and made her way to the Atlantic, arriving at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 4 May, 1946, to be decommissioned. She was reactivated in March of 1951, and then recommissioned the 5th of April, 1951. She reported to Commander Destroyer Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet in May for duty. Since then she has operated in or from the Newport, Rhode Island area, with cruises taking her to the Caribbean, North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Seas. On January, 1956, Captain Edward L. Robertson, USN relieved Captain Robert I. Olsen as commanding officer of the Cascade, and he at present is still Our Captain . The Cascade measures 492 feet from stem to stern, has a beam of 70 feet a speed of 16 knots.

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U. S. S. CASCADE MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE JUNE -NOVEMBER 1956 INTRODUCTION Newport and Fall River are separated by a very few miles, that is of course, if you don ' t include a 5 month cruise through the Mediterranean in between. With the docking at Fall River this round- about trip from Newport ended and with it came the curtain call to our 1956 Med. cruise. The youngsters had gained in world knowledge, the old timers added to it, but the fond memories, are the priceless possession of all hands. Long after the days of our voyage have fallen into nostalgic remembrance, and time brings proper perspective into focus, the petty gripes and inconveniences will be by-passed for the outstanding and cherished mem- ories. Wherever it may be, on another sea, at play, at a country home, or swinging on a porch, at any future time, thoughts will stray to this past experience. With this thought in mind, we of the cruise book staff devote our efforts, and dedicate this book, to you, our shipmates. We would also like to extend heart-felt gratitude to our wives, mothers and relatives who made this cruise with us, so to speak, in their devoted and lonely way. Wherever you men go, in a newly charted course, it is our wish that the opening of this book will be a revelation in helping you to find old friend- ships and experiences renewed in the spirit that they were lived.

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?4 THe iaye ' pnotK CAPT. EDWARD L. ROBERTSON JR. This Cruise Book is something which I shall treasure always, because it will always bring back memories of a five-month period during which a group of six or seven hundred men, of whom I was one, shared a rich experience. This experience had many aspects. There was, for example, the thrill of seeing the Parthenon in the moonlight, Stromboli lighting up the sky just before dawn, the Coliseum in Rome, the grandeur of the French Alps, and the incomparable beauty of the French Riviera. There was also the experience of meet- ing the inhabitants of the four different countries we visited, of seeing how they work, eat, drink, play and live, and above all, of realizing finally that they are all human beings just like ourselves, with the same virtues and faults, hopes and fears. It was also reward- ing, but at the same time somewhat sobering, to realize how many of these people look to the United States as their chief hope toward allaying the fear of war which has traditionally hung over the Mediterranean area. But for me the most rewarding experience, the one which I shall remember the most vividly, comes from the feeling of a sense of achievement. When the CASCADE sailed from Newport on June 11, 1956, there were many in her crew who had never been to sea before, and all of us were apprehensive about the multitude, variety and strangeness of the tasks which lay before us. Well, they turned out to be multitudinous, strange and various, all right. We not only repaired destroyers faster than before, we also issued them pro- visions and spare parts at sea and in port, gave them dental and medical services, fueled them in port and at sea, hauled their liberty parties, did their laundry and dry cleaning, and cut their hair. We did the same on occasion for many other vessels of the Sixth Fleet In addition, we served as Flagship for Commander Service Force, Sixth Fleet and his staff of sixteen officers and fifty-five men. At the same time we co- ordinated Fleet Air Transportation and Fleet Mail and operated the Fleet Motor Pool, the Fleet Boat Pool, the Fleet Wine Mess and the Fleet Clubs. We even operated a grocery store for U.S. Navy dependents. While we were doing all this, we spent nearly half of our time at sea with the Fleet, where indeed we accomplished many of the tasks I have mentioned, and received our own provisions, spare parts, fuel and ammuntion from other ships of the Service Force. We did not always do these jobs perfectly, but we did them well enough to receive many expressions of thanks and gratitude from Admirals and seamen alike. There were never any breakdowns in the services we rendered, nor were there any accidents or casualties except cf the most minor nature. During the whole period of five months all hands exhibited the utmost willingness to produce services for other ships which of course is the primary reason for the existence of a tender. We worked hard and long, and above all we worked together. We were performing an important job, one which was necessary and indispensable to the Sixth Fleet. As a result I am proud to have been a member of this ship ' s company on so memorable a cruise, and I only hope that the text and the pictures published in this volume will serve to give you the some pleasant recollections that I shall always enjoy.