Cotten (DD 669) - Naval Cruise Book

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The Blue Mosque I I The Sultan's Palace ' We felt rather mystic about the whole thing when we anchored opposite a sultan's palace in the land, of Moslems and mosques. In Istanbul, Turkey, .we found ourselves in a city of two con- tinents Q Europe and Asia - with the Black Sea and Russia only a day's ride up the Bosphorus. A fivefknot current through our anchorage made it feel as if we were underway all the while. Ferries made it se,e'rn-3-that much -more realistic. V I 'r Fleet landing was part of a mosque and Naval Museum. We' were 'much impressed with the sultan's palace but disappointed to find that the harem is no longer a national institution. We learned it is against the law to wear a fez in Turkey and that women are gen- erally no longer permitted to wearfveils which hide the face. We toured the old city and the new which aresep- afafefl by two bridges - and the river they cross. The lsmusut bazar is like a page from Arabian Knights with hundreds of tiny shops and carts jammed together selling every- thing imaginable at every imaginable price. Mostly we bought brass goods and Turkish meer- schaum pipes. However, the favorite item was silver puzzle rings which' nearly drove' us beserk as we tried to reassemble them. ' I We visited St. Sophia's Mosque. and the Blue Mos- que where we had to put slippers over our shoesbefore we entered. In the museums we saw priceless collec- tions of jewels, guns, scimitars and Turkish rugs. To help the Turks celebrate a national holiday, we full dressed our ship. We also shared in lifting of..-H' martial law curfew which allowed us to stay out two hours later. And...oh, yes. They had belly dancers, too. Saint Soph ia' s A Minaret Courtyard of Blue Mosque

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SALONIKA By the time We reached Salonika, Greece, our liberty parties seemed smaller. Most of us stayed aboard and watched movies or spent hours trying to figure out where all our money had gone, Those of us who did hit the beach found the city interesting - a veritable melting pot of different cul- tures - both Eastern and Western. In just a 20-minute walk from the Waterfront we passed through modern Western European-style office buildings and stores, through present-day Greek residences, through markets and bazzars that could be found in any Eastern city. We wandered through the old Turkish and Byzantine sections. Churches of different styles were everywhere: St. George's, St. Demetrios', the Church of the Apostles and the Vladactor Monastary. We made a tour to Philippi, where St. Paul said to have been imprisoned. We also made a trip to the American Farm School Where we found good fresh American milk and fresh corn-on-the-cob. People thronged the streets nightly - some lining up to watch American movies at local theaters, most just walking. No one seemed in any particular hurry to go anywhere. I Old Roman Wall ' 1 W I ,V .. I U ,W-I ,.,,..,.,..,-.,,w.- - ,.-.f..1-.cm--A - ' A . ..-mr - . it ..1,,'..,:.'.-fx , , ,, . .. -,W,,N,N-,,,,, . ,r -. V - -

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ff I -F--H - 1' - f ' wk' '-ff .,,.,,- . -.G-.vw rg:-,ff :mas -A-bf: A '- W 'f ,'3,.-gf.: 5: V '- W ,- 5' sr? -, . ,- . nf--4 - I - - , V,-.vt .:,,l.,,J,,4.f.,,..,f.-.1 .na-fs, A ,- , , -- - f - -- MALTA X , I I I USS COTTEN with DESDIV 302 in the Background Tl1e island of Malta is a British possession which is only nine miles wide and 17 miles long. Yet it was one of the most bombed places of World War II. The position of Malta in the Med- iterranean Sea will always be strategic Therefore NATO has an establishment there as well as the U S An' Force Harbor facilities - are very good and both British and French Ships were in port with us Though there is a Maltese language almost all of the natives speak English Outside of the language factor Malta differed little from other Med ports of call Maltese lace and pipes were the best buys A ride to Valleta was well worth while All the shops were on Kingsway and one block over on Strait St were all the bars The nickname of this narrow five-block long street is The Gut It fea- tured phonograph music from end to end -. Names of the bars were colorful and interesting Dirty Dick s Cocktail Lounge the Blue Lagoon The Bing Crosby bar the Golden Banarma and of course the Anchor We operated with a British tug one day and misty weather kept I many aboard another day It was just before payday but most of us had that last round feeling just before getting underway for home Q u . 4 Q . Q Q 0 Q . . n 1 0 . 4 7 a . . n 7 7 n 0 o 1 7 '7 7 . 0 . . gg ,, , o o T . . . . 1 , 7 7 7 7 7 7 . . 0 1 I Q K! 17 ' ' A I I I I I I I I I I I