Columbus (CA 74) - Naval Cruise Book

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GREECE f you ' re an average sailor, you ' ll quickly remember that In Athens, Greece, there was a USO that gave away food and drinks free. What you probably won ' t remember Is the name of the nearby hill on top of which are a lot of broken- down stone buildings. But if you remember or not, Athens Is a city whose history dates back more than 3600 years. Naturally, therefore, the main points of interest are ancient ruins and the like. The Acropolis , the hill just mentioned, was a place of worship in the days before Christ. The Greeks erected temples there to the various gods in the magnificent 5th century B.C. Time has dealt hard with the Acropolis but man has dealt worse. Over the ages he has used it as a handy quarry, breaking up its statues and reliefs for stone to build new walls, hie stored gunpowder in some of the temples, Including the Parthenon, and it blew up. Later, when man ' s respect for the Acropolis returned, he carted off some of its finest sculptures to the museums of Europe in sheer artistic greed. But the attrition is done, and a great bulk of the works on the Acropolis survive, still radiant with bygone perfection. The country is chiefly an agricultural one, with little manufacturing. With American aid, however, industrial output last year was almost 20 percent better than the prewar level. Agricultural production has surpassed former output also. Greece rejected a surrender ultimatum from Italy in October 1940, and when attacked she threw the Italians back into Albania. Nazi support resulted in the defeat and occupation of the country by Germans, Italians and Bulgarians. By the end of 1944, the Invaders withdrew. At the war ' s end, Communists tried to seize power and civil war resulted. This brought help from the Marshall Plan and a special investigation by the U.N. ECA help stimulated economic recovery and civil strife was proclaimed at an end on 16 October 1949. The crew was to have manned the rail for a visit on board of King Paul and Queen Frederika during our stay there but choppy seas forced a can- cellation. One of the American Express tours, how- ever, gave a few sailors a glimpse of the Royal Palace at any rate. The USO canteen, which was mentioned ear- lier, was one of the better ones encountered in the General View of the Acropolis

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We ' ll remember with pleasure the excellent USO canteen In Istanbul which was staffed by cooperative American men and women living in the city. A touring USO troupe entertained during our visit there and were helped out each night by the able Sixth Fleet dance band. Several basketball games were arranged between local teams and the squads of various ships present which created a great deal of interest. And this was the case despite the fact that the navy teams usually held the upper hand. As was the case in several ports, a party was held on board one afternoon for children from one of the local orphan- ages. About 60 youngsters with chaperons were treated to a tour of the ship, followed by movies and refreshments in one of the mess compartments. Yes, Turkey was different all right, but our visit to Istanbul was one we enjoyed and will remember always. -— :;

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Steps Leading Into the Acropolis Med. Located on one of the main streets of the city, it pro- vided ample room for the large fleet present and there was music and dancing every night in addition to free chow. A good port or the tourist sailor, and the Good-time Charlie was Athens, Greece. Birthday at Athens Ancient Theater