Coontz (DLG 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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ALBANY ' ' ann ' ' ROO STEAK TONIGHT J THE GREAT WHITE HUNTER SUNDAY VISITORS iiiil ' lz !, A QUIET SUNDAY AUSSIE SHOOTIN ' MATCH ALBANY BY AIR STIRLING TERRACE

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V.S. ship battered It ' s rough on a sailor Seas batter missile ship ALBANY, Sot About 360 Amer.con soilort -ith IS. 000 to (pcnd reached Albony rodoy in the US guided miifile Coonti oher their roughcit tea loyage fot o month. The soilofS were iS- f ' ' ' ' O ' ort vhrv wen oni Irom sued w ih their fort- (ihiiiii earned nightly pov yesterdoy »eeu ' » ' etneral OS ihe ship ploughed ' ■ ' ' • through heQv seos from Fremantle to Al- bony dollar Irigate day atlcrnoon. ir ktutlu Ihe , told I • »hlD fird Iron) ■ t onoor o(f Ihe eonsl JsDnn lour vrplcs tto Ihrli cvcdUiE cKcted over (tir boii upliihcd atalrut Welcome Marine dlivc arouni Clarrncc and sroui Hundrcd.i jlood oi I ' harl and cheered ■ Thf Cooolz 1 Stie lays nil spend 1 the 6 ■ AlbaPT has reBlly [)f«ad Iht welcome n»l. Exercise A t eclal dance -jnned by t [ to I kDll- rrimtie ' s I thrown open i officer went ar CMh tlje crew J Australtiin jui ■

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WttMtt t»Uh wWtkiJ iwrorporattJ) th pantag net mrb 3 i«nar 9 anMIw Albm jPesptrh Vol. 38, No. 3808 iiMI Z ' Sli! ' ALBANY, TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 20. 1952 PRICE 4d. There s no time lost here JT takes only min- utes for men of the U.S. missile fri- gate Coontz to reach their battle stations. Yesterday, three min- utes after the alarm bells had rung, all men were at their attack stations and missiles were on their launching pads ready to fire. Between two and four minutes is the usual time for this complete opera- tion in peace time, but in war it would only take seconds. Massive radar equip- ment on board big From Daily News Staff man Joe Keeling, who travelled to Albany in the U.S.S. Coontz, WARM WELCOME GIVEN U.S.S. COONTZ Charlie, as she is affec- tionately called, can pick up an aircraft about 200 miles away and a surface object up to 40 miles, in good conditions. The aim of the frigate is to stop an enemy at- tack as far away as pos sible from herself — with the terrier air mis- sile the range is more than 10 miles. The asroc anti-submar- ine missile also has a long range, but the exact distance is still classi- fied. The terrier is launched after the combat infor- mation centre has fed target data into the wea- pons system and the tar- get comes within range. The only human hand- ling of the terrier missile is the fitting of booster tails at the end of the rocket missile tails in the centre. After this has been done, the missile moves forward on to the launch- ing pad to await its dead- ly assignment from weapon control. Both terrier and asroc missile s have nuclear capabilities. Asroc can be fitted with either homing torpedoes or depth charges. It is a far cry from World War II when ships relied on their gun power to stop an enemy attack. The Coontz carries only five guns — a five inch, mounted forward, and two batteries of twin three-inch guns. A big crowd — estimat- ed at about 300 — greet- ed the Coontz when she arrived at Albany at 9 a.m. today. People had taken up every vantage point along the hill of Marme- drive. A big entertainment programme is lined up for the sailors and local residents. The ship tied up right on time in fine, cool weather with a slight breeze pushing her on to the dock with a gentle bump. One of the biggest and most friendly welcomes ever extended to a visiting war- ship by Albany people was given the United States ' frigate U.S.S. Coontz when she berthed on Saturday for a three-day visit. Hundreds of Albany people and country visitors crowded the wharf and other vantage points to see the sleek missile-packing surface ship come alongside and tie up at No. I berth. DAY BY DAY WE are told certain mem- bers of the Coontz arc plug- ging for V in the phonetic alpliabei to be changed to Vera. WOULD have been nice if j LL Americans living in Al- bany had got an invite lo Ihe civic reception. BY Ihe time we leave Aust- lalra I reckon every one of our crew will have a digger hat — but we wont have a gob cap left in slorc — USS Coontz officer. « THOUGHT for today: With guided missile frigates such as the Coonfz added to the world ' s largest naval command, the threat of potential aggress- ors who would by force of arms jeopardise the freedom of , the vast Pacific ocean, has been lessened. Albany Races ; Good racing and good fields neri- ngain the oulstand- iDg featuri ' s of Ihe Albany Racing Cluh meeting last Saturday. Very close finishes in almost , all of the six races was a high- ' light of the afternoon. Only a 1 nose or a necK separated the ! winner and second place geltcr I in several instances. Despite the attendance of ; men fiom (he United Stales Navy frigate Saturday ' s crowd j was probably the smallest at any race meeting this season. An official said the attend- ance figure was a big disap- pointment to the club. How- ever it expected a good crowd next Saturday for the annual Albany Cup. A ' hunting They ' ll Go LBANY. Sat: A highlight of the entertainment ar- ranged for the 326 enlisted men and 23 officers of the USS Coontz is expected to be a kangaroo hunt tomorrow. There was a rush from men wanting to join the hunt and within five minutes almost a third of the ship ' s company had applied to join the fun. Other entertain- ment includes tours, dances and sports. Hundreds more people watched from ears parked on Marine Drive around Ml. Clarence. USS Coontz. one of four guided missile frigates attach- ed to the USS Pacific Fleet, is the first American man-o-war to visit Albany since before the end of world war two. She came in to berth to the strains of a jazzed-up version of Waltzing Matilda and when the Saints Come Marching In. played by a three-piece com- bination on board. Embarked on board Coontz is Captain D. T. Drain. Com- mander Destroyer Division 152. Commanding Officer of 5 1 2ft. ship is Commander H. H. Ries. Later in the morning about two thirds of 326 enlisted men and 2? officers were given liberty. Many of (hem were picked up at tiie ship to be cotertaln- ed by Albany people. Others went on to sporting events and other entertainment ' arranged for them. I On Saturday night officers from the Coontz were enter- I (ained at a civic reception in Ihe Lower Town Hall, Weekend entertainment in- cluded dances. lours, rifle shooting, basketball and a kangaroo shoot. There was a rush from sail- ors wanting to go on the hunt, CROWDS Record crowds packed into the USS Coontz on Satttrday and Sunday when she was opened to the public. More than 2.500 people were shown over he ship on Saturday. Between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday another 3.000 people had crowded on board to have their first look at a guided missile frigate. Visiting hours were extend- ed after 5 p m. on Sunday when hundreds more people were still quequed up on the wharf waiting to go aboard. All available off-duty men on the Coontz were used to take the inspection parties on a tour of the ship. They were most courteous helping children and elderly people up and down ladders, and spending a lot of time ex- plaining equipment and an- suering questions. The number of people :ihowii over the ship on Smday is unprecedented in the history of the port. THE SHIP Coontz was designed to serve primarily as an anti-aircraft and anti-submarine warfare (AWS) ship. In carrying out this mission, the missile-firing frigate serves as screening and escort ship for high speed air- craft carriers and their task forces. Armed with the ' Terrier surface-to-air guided missiles, acoustic anti-submarine hom- ing torpedoes, ASROC anii- submarine rockets and dual purpose three-inch and five- ; inch conventional guns. Coontz IS a formidable threat to aerial. ' surface, and sub-surface enem- ies. Terrier. a3.000lb. solid fuel , missile, is an all-weather wca- I pon that is capable of seekmg I out and destroying hostile air- craft before they can get within I striking distance of the ship. ' For anti-submarine warfare, Coontz h.is a powerful new weapon, the ASROC. which is fired from an eight-round launcher and can be utilised either as a homing torpedo or a depth charge. An elaborate electronic de tection and fire contol system supports the weapons and serves as the eyes and ears of ) the Coontz. I Long range radar and the latest sonar equipment are re- sponsible for the initial contact.