Edisto (AGB 2) - Naval Cruise Book

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thlS IS the shlp they sailed. . . We have had the extraordinary good fortune to be stationed not only with one of the most versatile crews in the Navy but aboard a vessel whose characteristics and capabilities are to say the very least un- usual. USS EDISTO CAGB-ZD was authorized by Congress on December 17, 1943. The ship's keel was laid by the Western Pipe and Steel Co., San Pedro, California on May 15, 1945. At the commissioning cere- monies on March 20, 1947, the ship was placed under her first commanding officer, CDR E.C. Folger, USN. The' ship is named for Edisto Island in South Carolina, just 20 miles south of Charleston. The island takes its name from the Edisto Indians, the original inhabitants of the island. Since her commissioning, EDISTO has become a well seasoned icebreaking veteran of both poles. Prior to her Operation Deep- freeze 61 commitment, she had been to the Antarctic several times and to the Eastern Arctic where she was one of the two ships to have gone to lat. 82'N. In early, 1958, the ship departed Norfolk and steamed non- stop to Ellsworth Station, Weddell Sea, Antarctica, a distance of roughly 9500 miles. This voyage set a Deepfreeze record and proved the, versatility of the Navy icebreaker. USS EDISTO, originally classified as an auxiliary CAG-895 is now classified as a wind class icebreaker. The ship is equipped with a reinforced icebreaker hull, a heeling tank system which can provide an artificial roll of 10 degrees, and a flight deck above the fantail. When operating EDISTO carries two helicopters for ice reconnaissance, landing parties, and rescue work. The ship is 269 feet long and has a beam of 63 feet. It cruises at 14 knots and displaces 6400 tons when fully loaded. EDISTO is powered by six main diesel engines and two electric motors developing a total of 10,000 horse power. Currently under consideration for installation is a system ofvalves which will control the shifting of liquids in the ship's tanks. If practicable aboard EDISTO, it should help to reduce some of the rolling, an innovation for which we shall all be thank ful..

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L, Yglm, A92 J.P. Silvio AMH2 T.E. Humphreys AD2 J-L- Bowser ADR3 hutron four Lt J.A. Broughton Ltyg E'.F. Goetz Ens V.A. Pryzbyszewski . mlwzcge oz specially oJ-If-N0Ci11af1D0 WDE - T7l0mPSfm A53 A- Cfvzvpef ATE3 w.J. Macklin AMSAN P.A. Bnnnnen AN

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EDISTO, back from the Arctic in mid August, faced the challenge of preparing for the lengthy, important cruise to the Antarc- tic, as part of Task Force 43, in support of the U.S. Antarctic Research Project. In addition to the food, fuel, and ammu- nition supplies necessary to the operation of the ship itself, we embarked several cryptic boxes of scientific gear, a bathy- thermograph team, and our now familiar com- patriots of HUTRON 4 and their gaudy flying machines. Day after day the slab- sided gray trucks rolled to the side of the ship as working party after working party was called away to cope with the influx of stores. The Officer-of-the-Deck was forced to deal with angry division officers who saw their whole department leave on one working party. In reply to the queries, the OOD could only say, This stuff has to come aboardf' As the days shortened for our leave- taking, our already ragged supply officer was harassed a good deal more with higher and higher priorities. Sometimes he disap- peared into the benighted confines of Bld. 149 at Charlestown for such long periods that we began to doubt he should ever return departure - that the system. had, at last, swallowed the man. However, and let history judge our fortune, he always did reappear, albeit with a sheaf of papers and a look of utter con- sternation mingled with disbelief. Finally, the last truck had been emptied and there were no more to take its place. This signalled the end of the preparations and the beginning of the cruise. Early on the morning of 28 October 1960, members of the engineering department were already hard at work upon their sailing- day duties. Steam, fresh water, and electric shore supply were cut off and the ship be- came an entity, depending on no one for her needs. She remained shackled to the un- familiar land only by her doubled-up morning lines. Soon these too were reduced so that only six single strands of manila held her. At 1010 local time on that sunny New England morning, before a crowd of friends, relatives, and idly curious, we hauled aboard and stowed our last line. The ship, even in those calm harbor waters began 21 gentle rolling motion which told those of US who had sailed her before that EDISTO W215 truly underway .