Columbus (CA 74) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 87 text:

AUGUSTA BAY, SICILY

Page 86 text:

NAPLES est joint exercise in the Med since the war. That carried us to the eastern end of the sea, near Turkey, and when the two-week exercise was completed we visited Istanbul. After stopping in Greece and Lebanon, the ship came back east again and made a call at Naples. We reached there 4 December and remained until the 1 0th. The country ' s third largest city, Naples disputes with Istanbul the claim of occupying the most beautiful site in the Med. The old Italian saying Vedi Napoli e poi muori, which means, See Naples and then die, is so familiar to tourists of all nations that it is understood by everyone. In fact, it conveys the fascination of this unparalleled city so well that it seems to reassume and exalt all that make a stay in Italy desirable. Mt. Vesuvius, famous volcano overlooking the city, is famous all over the world even though it has erupted only once in the past 23 years. The last time it was active was in 1945 when it caused only slight damage and killed a comparatively few people. Perhaps a more impressing, or should we say depress- ing, feature of the city in the eyes of the average sailor are the hordes of persistent street merchants and guides plying their trade. Naples seemed to have more than its share of them, trying to sell everything from cheap jewelry to imported seashells. Built at the base and on the slopes of a ridge of hills rising from the Bay of Naples, the city occupies one of the most beautiful sites the ship visited on the entire cruise. The bay, extending from Cape Miseno in the north to the Sorrento peninsula in the south, is dominated by Vesuvius and dotted with towns and villas. Near its en- trance are the islands of Capri, Ischia, and Procida. A beautiful view of the city and bay is possible from the cameo factory that is an almost inevitable stop on any guided tour in the city. The people are definitely ' American Navy conscious because of the CINCSOUThH flag stationed permanently at Naples on board the ADIRONDACK. That, coupled with the fact that almost every Sixth Fleet visit is made with several ships, makes the people much more accus- tomed to seeing U.S. servicemen than in many other Med ports. In WWII the city suffered tremendous damage. The industrial suburbs were heavily bombed by the Allies, but the worst destruction was wrought by the retreating Ger- mans in 1943. The harbor section, now one of the best in Europe, was demolished, entire blocks disappeared, and part of the rich archives and libraries were burned. Several overnight tours from both Genoa and Naples were conducted to Switzerland, Paris, Florence, Venice and Rome. As in the past, they were greatly enjoyed and can be termed highly successful ventures both by the men and the ship. It was in Naples, also, where the crew braved a chill evening to watch a talented USO troupe perform on the pier alongside the COLUMBUS. Even though Sicily is an island, it is actually a part of Italy and our visit there must be included in this story of Italian ports on the COLUMBUS itinerary. Sandwiched between our Lisbon and Genoa calls was an eight-day replenishment stop at Augusta Bay. Far from a good city for liberty, the stay there did afford a different kind of recreation with the daily beach parties that were held. Many took advantage of them to stretch their legs and most of the so-called ballplayers got a sore arm tossing a ball around. Mt. Etna, one of the famous mountains of the earth, stands only a few miles away and seems to be one of the few things of interest there. So you can see, the COLUMBUS did get a well- rounded view of every port of the boot on this cruise. The loyal sons of Italy who are attached to the ship, and there are many, really got a kick out of each trip ashore as fhey visited relatives and had a chance to try out the language they ' d heard at home. And even for those who couldn ' t speak the language, sunny Italy was a country where a good time was had byalL Modified Medife Docked At Naples

Page 88 text:

TURKEY Narrow Street Grand Bazaar he skyline of Istanbul, Turkey, where we ar- rived on 14 November 1952. was different than that of any other port we had visited previously. The many Moslem churches, called mosques, with their flnger-IIke minarets reaching skyward made It a city In wide contrast with those we d seen in the western part of the Med. Anchored in the Bosphorous as she was, the ship enjoyed the unique position of having a different continent on each side. Off the port side was Europe while Asia was less than a mile to starboard. The swift current in the Bosphorous makes boating rather difficult. Skillful work by the boat crews, however, prevented any serious injury or damage during our stay there. Cultural and educational center of Turkey. Istanbul ' s influence over the course of human affairs is rivaled only by Athens. Rome, and Jerusalem. Roman law, Greek literature and the theology of the Christian church are closely associated with its history. An amazing piece of architecture is the Mosque of Sultan Ahmet, better known as the Blue Mosque. famous for its beautiful blue tiles and six minarets, it was built between 1609-1616, a time when the only mosque with six minarets was at Mecca. Sultan Ahmet silenced the objections to his sixth minaret by ordering a seventh for Mecca and keeping the sixth at his own mosque. Legend says the sultan was so impatient to see it completed that he came every Friday and worked in the midst of his laborers. The modernization of Turkey was started by the Young Turks in 1908 when they forced the grant of a constitution. Sultan Abdul hiamid was de- posed the following year. After the foreign military occupation of Turkey during WWI ended, the Turks under Ataturk cleared the country of its enemies and assured its complete independence with the treaty of Lausanne, July 1923. The Republic was proclaimed in October. The Sultana te and Caliphate were abolished and all members of the Ottoman Imperial Family left the country. The authorities of the new Republic, under the guidance of a surpassing genius, have brought about a surprising evolution in the outlook, morals and customs of a great Asiatic nation now enrolled, with deliberation and without reserve, in the family of world states.