De Soto County (LST 1171) - Naval Cruise Book

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CTwo months before the USS DeSoto County left on its Great Lakes voyage, the following message went to the commandants of the third, fourth and ninth naval districts, with information copies to the Chief of Naval Operations, Co mandant of the Marine Corps, Commander in Chief Atlantic Fleet, Chief of Information, Commander of the Naval Reserve Training Command, and others., The information it obtained was invaluable.5 'X' 'X' -X- GREAT LAKES LST CRUISE 1. ANTICIPATE PROMULGATION FIRM BASIC SCHEDULE USS DESOTO COUNTY QLST 11715 IN NEAR FUTURE. 2. REQUEST FOLLOWING INFO ON PERTINENT PORTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE: A. PORT LIAISON OFFICER B. NAVAL DISTRICT PIO AS WELL AS LOCAL PIO AT EACH PORT C. INFO ON EACH PORT TO INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO: Q15 STARBOARD SIDE BERTHING, TUG AND PILOTAGE SERVICES, DEPTHS ALONGSIDE Q25 TRANSPORTATION AVAILABLE INTO HEART OF CITY - Q35 NAMES OF PROMINENT CIVIC OFFICIALS CWITH POSITIONS5 CA5 LOCATION OF NAVYXMARINE CORPS RESERVE TRAINING CENTERS IN EACH PORT AND NAME OF CO. IF NONE IN PORT, SAME INFO ON NEAREST ONE C55 NAME OF NAVY LEAGUE PRESIDENT IN EACH PORT, OTHERWISE ' NEAREST C65 TV AND RADIO STATIONS, AND LOCAL NEWSPAPERS Q75 NAME AND LOCATION OF VARIOUS DENOMINATIONAL CHURCHES C85 NAME AND LOCATION OF HOSPITAL NEAREST BERTH Q95 LOGISTICS INFO C105 ANY OTHER PERTINENT INFO - 3. ALTHOUGH MUCH OF ABOVE INFO CAN BE OBTAINED UPON ARRIVAL CONSIDER IT NECESSARY TO HAVE SUCH INFO SOONEST FOR PLANNING AS WELL AS INDOCTRINATION OF DESOTO COUNTY CREW. M. ALSO REQUEST PROPOSED DETAILED PORT VISIT PLAN BE SUBMITTED ON EACH PORT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. PLAN SHOULD INCLUDE SPEAKING ENGAGE- M NTS, RADIO AND TV INTERVIEWS, PARADES, DANCES, SUGGESTED ATHLETIC EVENTS, ETC. FOR INFO, VADM MCCAIN, COMPHIBLANT, AVAILABLE TO SPEAK DURING FOLLOWING PORT VISITS: ROCHESTER, TOLEDO, DULUTH AND CHICAGO. RADM WYLIE, COMPHIBTRALANT qco USS MACON DURING 1959 GLAKES CRUISE5, AVAIL TO SPEAK DURING PORT VISITS TO BUFFALO, DETROIT, MILWAUKEE AND CLEVELAND.

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rpgsgzgsfisaazss f4sssi i t L ' gas : 1.......g.es:'m-mc?---mf - - t UNITED STATES ATLANTIC FLEET COMPHIBLANT USS POCONO KAGC 161, Flagship U. S. Naval Base, Norfolk, Va. Operation Order COMPHIBLANT NO. 503-64 References: Cal CINCLANTFLT ltr ser 0464 of 18 MAR 1964 qbp cNo msg 281404Z MAR 1964 i cap CINCLANTFLT msg 3021402 MAR 1964 TASK ORGANIZATION VADM J. S. MCCAIN, Jr., USN LCDR H. H. ,MANN, USN ENS G. R. YOCUM, ,USNR Officer in Charge Officer in Charge Amphibious Force, U. S. Atlantic Fleet a. USS DESOTO COUNTY CLST 11715 b. UDT Detachment Assigned . c. Helicopter Detachment Assigned d. U. S. Marine Corps Detachment Assigned . e. PIO Team Assigned LCDR J. A. WIDDER, Jr. ,. USN 1. SITUATION. This is Commander Amphibious Force, U. S. Atlantic Fleet Operation .Order for the conduct of a cruise to the Great Lakes by a modern LST of the Amphibious Force during the summer 1964. This cruise, proposed by reference tal and approved by reference fbi, has been assigned to this force. for implementation by reference tel. There have been frequent requests for U. S. Navy ship cruises in the Great Lakes from sources ranging from Congressmen to Commanders of local Naval Reserve Training Centers. Accordingly, there is every reason to believe that the large numbers of our population congregated in the Great Lakes area are keenly interested in once again being visited by a fleet unit. The Amphibious Force, U. S. Atlantic Fleet is privileged and honoredto have been chosen to send a ship of the force on such .a Worthwhile assignment. 2. MISSION. Visit the maximum number of population center ports in the Great Lakes area, conduct Open House in the ports visited, depict by means of embarked displays and equipment, UDT Demonstrations, TV and radio interviews, press conferences, speeches, and by every other dynamic public information procedure the full meaning of Seapower and the Navy- Marine Corps Team with particular emphasis on the vital role they play in meeting the Four Ocean Challenge, in order to again provide the people of the Great Lakes area with an opportunity to see and know their Navy and to spur the recruiting efforts. CComplete Operation Order in Appendix! ... 4.1.4.-.... . .rr f .-4.,--l.: ,..-,-W.. , N, L., 4 -s g ..,. -,.- .-. .,-,, . -., . U' few' Qc-L-f-4-'1-i-lf1vcs...-:g.11.::nn4-f- 4:4 -Q 41'-A V - - - ---L -v-Y .-: r':.r:--- Ar:-11:-.-vc--A ----L ---.. ' ---. - --.. 4 - 4... .. . . . .. ' - -- :f 2--J:-an ' - - -Lutz:- 'f'--ff :g..- -V - 5'--.1 --1 -r- ff- --. --A .---va ' - ..r-4-4 1 ,. , I . . .1. ,., ' 1 H' '-a--- ffm v,,.J1,u4,..1.af....1:x.1:-0.1.....,....3xs1.4.:u.:1i.:f,us1.mu5.1x..a.- u.1...mk.u. 1:....u4m. uf U 1 ' 'i'1i'If:2 E5i?.:. ff-'Q

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CPublic inform tion specialists made advance liaison visits to eight cities to make final arrangements and to polish proposed visiting procedures and techniques. The following message helped pave the way.D -X- 'X' -X- A 28 MAY 196A UNCLASSIFIED FROM: COMPHIBLANT ACTION: USNMCRTC DULUTHfUSNMCRTC TOLEDO USNMCRTC DETROITfUSNMCRTC BUFFALO USNMCRTC ROCHESTERfUSNMCRTC ERIE USS COD SS-22A NAVCRUITBRSTA SAULT STE. MARIE INFO: CNOfCMCfCINCLANTFLTfCG FMFLANTXCHINFO NAVFINCENiCLEVELANDfCOM3fCOMhfCOM9 DIRlSTMARCORPSDISTfDIRATHMARCORPSDIST DIR9THMARCORPSDISTfUSS DESOTO COUNTY ADVANCE PUBINFO LIAISON TRIP FOR GLAKES LST CRUISE A. CINCLANTFLT 2722382 PASEP A 1. LCDR HARNEY AND lST LT STACK USMC WILL VISIT ACTION ADDEES IN ACCORDANCE WITH SKED REF A FOR PURPOSE OF EFFECTING ALL ASPECTS ADVANCE PUBINFO LIAISON. 2. ITEMS TO DISCUSS INCLUDE ARRANGEMENTS FOR PUBLIC SPEAKERS INCLUDING POSSIBILITY OF FLAG OFFICERS, MARCHING UNITS, SOFTBALL TEAM, MARINE CHORAL GROUP, UDT CAST AND RECOVERY PLUS MARINE KARATE DEMOS, OPEN HOUSE DETAILS, ON OARD RECEPTIONS, AND RELATED COMF MUNITY ACTIVITIES. 3. REQUEST ACTION ADDEES MEET WITH TRANSPORTATION AND ARRANGE APPROPRIATE APPOINTMENTS NITH LOCAL MEDIA, CIVIC OFFICIALS, NAVY LEAGUE EXECUTIVES, COM AND LOGISTICS REPRESENTATIVES, ETC. ALSO, COORDINATE APPOINTMENTS WITH LOCAL MARINE CORPS LIAISON OFFICERS. A. WHERE RON INVOLVED REQUEST ARRANGE OVERNIG T ACCOMMODATIONS FOR FOUR OFFICERS. , 5. FOR USNMCRTC DULUTH REQUEST ADVISE MR. ROBERT HANSEN OF VISIT TO EFFECT ANY COORDINATION WITH FORTHCOMING VFW CONVENTION IN CLEVELAND. AMN. .. ,A J., ,,,L.,,w,. MKG -, -A im ....,,, .,,,,, ..-..,,I,-f ,.,,.g1 :... - -V-...,., --,-..., .-,, , -,,,, , . --. ., . - . V., W- --.. , -. V . I .. - - ---.----...H--.l...-dw. , , , . . I-.......1-D.. -.ui--.--isiiatvv--, ewmggg3:-ngrmwmw ,.. au..- ,au 1 ,-om .1 .-.. x.. .N 1 . .. x sm . v 1.1 1.. um . ....- m m ax --f ,