Clarence K Bronson (DD 668) - Naval Cruise Book

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p. CtMTItCt The first leg of our cruise lay soutliward, aud as Newport faded out of sight, then off the chart, the weather turned warmer, the seas bluer. Despite a few minor storms on the way itfd down, we reached the Caribbean end of the Panama Canal five days out. We will always remember two things about that Isthmus— first, all the pictures everyone was taking of Gatun locks, the mules and the local scenery. (We wonder how work ever got done! ) The other memory is of Panama City— on the Pacific end of the Canal. After five or six days at sea, any- thing ashore looks good— but brother, what a time. It was with great difficulty that Cdr. Fitzgerald was able to get underway when the 43 time came. But as we all realized later, the cruise would have been only half the fun, had it ended here. And so, on into the Pacific. Bm b

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Iie Cruise Some wags have said that the Navy inhabits the unfashionable side of fashionable New- port in the unfashionable season. To some, this may be true, but true or not, the long rakish lines of Deslant ' s charges are as familiar a Newport sight as the Breakers, or the Casino. DesDiv 302 makes its home in Newport waters, but once in a while, like any proper Destroyer Division, it gets to hankering about the World beyond Block Island. And so, accordingly, on 18 May, 1953, C7SS Dahj (DD-519), USS Smalleij (DD-565), t SS Cotten (DD-669) and USS Clarence K. Branson (DD- 668) stood out to sea, turning their respective courses to the southward— outward bound on the great adventure, a cruise that would take them to the war in Korea, and then, onuard through a kaleidoscopic odyssey embracing many lands, many peoples— and most of all, many, many unforgettable memories. 42

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