De Soto County (LST 1171) - Naval Cruise Book

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COMMANDER AMPI-IIBIOUS FORCE, ATLANTIC FLEET PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE NORFOLK, VIRGINIA LDING 2012 TELEPHONE HO 4 16 NITED STATES NAVAL AMPHIBIOUS BASE. EXT. 8192 8193 CREEK, VIRGINIA HOID FOR RELEASE UNTIL A.M. 22 MAY I CPL 85-64 ATLANTIC FLEET SHIP TO VISIT GREAT LAKES Little Creek, Va., May 22, 1964 - Admiral H.P. Smith, USN, Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, announced today that a unit of the fleet's Amphibious Force will travel 1,200 miles inland this summer to give Great Lakes residents a look at the modern NAVYLMARINE CORPS TEAM. The tank landing ship KLSTD USS DeSoto County, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Horace D. Mann, Jr., of Portsmouth, Va., has been named to take part in the cruise. The ship will leave her base at Little Creek, Va., June 8 for a three month journey to 17 Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway ports. She will be the first Atlantic Fleet Amphibious Force ship to make an extensive cruise in the Great Lakes in recent years. M O R E CComplete release in Appendixb

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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 ,

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13525153513155iisffsgiis s--?s T,.14:354:5537.:5s:-qsssmigfgifr:s'a5'4..g,,-:Ea in - . asa.. 5 ,...:-,1 ':. es I X FACT SHEET USS DeSotogCounty's GreatlLakes Cruise The threesmonth cruise of the tank landing ship USS DeSoto County to the Great Lakes -- June 8 to September 10 -- will take her more than 1,200 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean. During her visit the ship will stop at 17 Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway cities. Ports of Call I Q Ogdensburg, N.Y., June 14-15 Marquette, Mich., Aug. 3 Rochester, N.Y.,, June 16-21 USNTC Great LakesfChicago, Aug. 7 Buffalo, N.Y., June 25-28 Milwaukee, Wis., Aug. 8-ll Erie, Pa., June 29-July 2 Chicago, Ill., Aug. 13-16 Toledo, Ohio, July 3-9 Muskegon, Mich., Aug. 17w18 Detroit, Mich., July 9-16 Manitowoc, Wie., Aug. 19-20 Bay City, Mich., July 17N2O A Cleveland, Ohio, Aug. 22-29 Sault ste, Mari., Mich., July 24-27 oswego, NJ., Aug. 31-sept. 1 Duluth, Minn., July 29-Aug. 2 J Clayton, N.Y., Sept. 3 V The ship will be open for general visiting in each port of call. Visitors will get a look at the modern NavyaMarine Corps Team through . displays, demonstrations and units which include: Cine-Globe Cruiser Theater . -Navy Underwater Demolition Team frogmen Tracked landing vehicle ,Four Ocean Challenge exhibit A 52-ton tank Navy's Polaris ballistic missile Q Self-propelled howitzer- Marine Corps' nMechanical Mulen Navy helicopter WOntos,U Marine Corps' tank killer A Marine karate team and a 25-voice chorus will also be on board, along with the l3spiece Amphibious Force Band. ' DeSoto County, one of the newest ships of her type, is designed to transport and land tanks, other heavy equipment and weapons in amphibious landings. With her shallow draft forward, she is capable of moving close to shore and being attached to pontoon causeways over which cargo can move, thereby bridging the gap from ship to shore. She can also move in to a hostile shore, beach herself, and discharge her cargo through her bow doors directly onto the beach. J Commissioned June 10, 1958, at New Grleans, la., DeSoto County is 442 feet long and 62 feet wide. When fully loaded it displaces 8,000 tons, more than five times that of a World War II LST. It can steam 14,000 miles without refueling and has a top speed in excess of 15 knots. Lieutenant Com ander Horace D. Mann, Jr., of Manteo, N.C., and Portsmouth, Va., has com anded Desoto County since July 15, 1963. iY 'T Qi ' 'W'z ? - 7: ': 7 '5i ' i+ :7 ' i'1 l-liikinl'-' 'Y ' ' '.F ' ' ' D' ' ' ' ' ' '