Chilton (APA 38) - Naval Cruise Book

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SHIP ' S HISTORY Launched in December 1942 at San Francisco Bayas the SS SEA NEEDLE , the ship was taken over by the navy five months later and renamed the uss chilton in honor of chilton county, Alabama. After conversion to an attack transport, the ship assisted in the training of some 16 ,000 AMPHIBIOUS personnel. On March 26 , 1945 at Keramo Retto, a small group of islands off Okinawa, the CHILTON landed her first troops on enemy soil. For 59 days, she remained in the Okinawa area. The ship endured 152 air raids and her crew averaged nearly four hours a day at their general quarters STATIONS. THE MOST SAVAGE ATTACK OCCURRED ON APRIL 2, WHEN EIGHT KAMAKAZES ATTACKED CHILTON ' S SQUADRON. The ESCORT SHIP USS DICKERSON WAS SUNK, TWO OTHER ESCORTS WERE BADLY DAMAGED, AND THE CHILTON ITSELF NARROWLY ESCAPED SERIOUS DAMAGE WHEN A SUICIDE PLANE SHEARED OFF A SIG- NAL HALYARD AND A RADIO ANTENNA BEFORE CRASHING OFF THE PORT QUARTER SHOWERING THE DECKS WITH PLANE FRAGMENTS AND FUEL. After a stateside trip, the CHILTON returned to the war zone and observed the ending of World War II at Okinawa. Her first post-war mission was to land elements of the 7th Army Di- vision IN Korea. A short time later, she disembarked the 1st Marine Division at Tienstsin , China , remaining in the area transporting Chinese troops from Hong Kong to North China. As a unit of Operation Magic Carpet, THE CHILTON carried homeward bound GI ' s from Japan to Saipan. In June 1946 , THE SHIP JOINED JOINT TASK FORCE ONE FOR THE HISTORIC ATOMIC BOMB TESTS AT BIKINI. In 1949 ,. THE CHILTON sailed TO Shanghai , China , where she loaded the 3rd Marine Regiment IN preparation for the evacuation of China, which was being over-run by Chinese Communists. The CHILTON WAS THE LAST U .S . NAVAL VESSEL TO LEAVE SHANGHAI , STAYING TO EVACUATE ANY AMERICANS wishing to leave before the city WAS occupied. The ship joined THE Amphibious Force , U.S. Atlantic Fleet upon her arrival at Norfolk on December 10, 1949. In 1956, THE Israel-Egypt situation, an outgrowth of the Suez Canal episode, exploded. The CHILTON, on duty in the Mediterranean, received orders to proceed to Alexandria , Egypt to evacuate American Nationals. With the USS THUBAN (AKA-19) and the USS FORT SNELLINGS (LSD— 30) IN COMPANY, THE CH I LTON ARR 1 VED AT ALEXANDRIA ON OCTOBER 31 AND ANCHORED IN THE CITY ' S INNER HARBOR. On NOVEMBER 1 AND 2, THE CHILTON EMBARKED 1105 EVACUEES, MOSTLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN, FROM THE CA 1 RO- ALEXA NDRI A AREA. THE EVACUATION WAS CONDUCTED THROUGHOUT RAIDS BY Anglo-French bombers on a nearby Egyptian airfield, and while Egyptian destroyers, anchored only a few hundred yards away, put up h eavy anti-a ircra ft fire. fortunately, not a single casualty occurred. In 1958, A QUICK succession of events culminated in an OVERTHROW OF THE REIGNING MONARCH IN Iraq AND prompted the Lebanese government to request aid, in the form of troops , from the United States government. The CHILTON was ordered to proceed directly to Beirut. On July 16, the 3rd Battalion (Reinforced), 6th Marines landed across the beaches just south of the city of Bei- rut AND EXECUTED A FLAWLESS ASSAULT LANDING WITH LESS THAN 48-HOUR NOTICE. FOR THE NEXT TWO MONTHS , THE CHILTON REMAINED MOSTLY IN THE BEIRUT AREA , SUPPORTING HER TROOPS ASHORE AND GEN- ERALLY WAITING FOR TENSION IN THE CITY TO EASE . Between operations, the CHILTON has participated in numerous Army, Marine and Midshipmen AMPHIBIOUS EXERCISES IN BOTH THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC OCEANS. PORTS OF CALL IN THE ATLANTIC DUR- ING RECENT YEARS INCLUDE; COPENHAGEN, EDINBURG, ORAN , ATHENS, SALONIKA, IZMIR, NAPLES, PALER- MO, Barcelona, Genoa, Malta, Malaga and the Riviera. In the Caribbean area the ship has visited SUCH ports AS Jamaica, Haiti, Puerto Rico and Cuba. The CHILTON ' S sixth Mediterranean cruise, which this book photographically portrays, be- gan IN September 1961 and ended in the later part of February 1962.

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IN MEMORIUM This book is dedicated to our SHIPMATES, Captain James H. OHMAN, USMC, AND Seaman John ZAMBARDINO. USN. They are sincerely mtssed and shall live on in our memories. THE EDITORS ALL ahead standard, steer 090

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COMMANDING OFFICER CAPTAIN ROBERT M. BROWNLIE Captain Robert M. Brownuie, Commanding Officer of the USS CHILTON CaPA-SS) WAS born on March 5, 1916 in Vallejo, California. He entered the Naval Academy IN 1935. He was graduated and commissioned an Ensign on June 1 , 1939. Captain Brownlie ' s first tour of duty was served aboard the USS PORTLAND DURING THE SUMMER OF 1939. HE SPENT THE FOLLOWING YEAR ABOARD THE DESTROYER CROWNINSHIELD SERVING AS COMMUNICATIONS Officer. In September of 1940, Captain BROWNLIE reported ABOARD THE BATTLESHIP ARKANSAS AS ASSISTANT NAVIGATOR AND LATER, AS World War II began, E Division Officer. During the war years, the captain served aboard the destroyers HOBBY, in the Atlantic in 1942-1943, and HADLEY, in the Pacific in 1944 and 1945. In January 1946, Captain Brownlie assumed command of the USS CUNNINGHAM (DD-752. Later in the same year, he became an instructor in chemistry at the u .s . naval academy. In 1949, Captain Brownlie returned to destroyer duty, where he took command of THE USS HAYNSWORTH (DD-700). In the following year , the captain served as COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE USS C.S. SPERRY (DD-697) . After three years as Officer in Charge of Officer Procurement and Recruiting IN San Francisco, Captain Brownlie joined the staff of the Commander in Chief, Pacific in 1954, and was assigned to the Plans and Policy section. In 1955, the captain became Executive Officer of the cruiser BREMERTON. Prior to becom ing Commanding Officer of the CHILTON , he served as Assistant for Naval Force Plans, in the office of the Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs. Among his decorations and awards. Captain Brownlie wears the Silver Star medal, THE Navy Commendation Ribbon and the Presidential Unit Citation. Captain Brownlie is married to the former Miss Charlotte West. They reside in Arlington , Va ., with their four children ; Jean, 15 ; James, 1 1 ; Robert Jr . , 10 and Richard, 4.