Eldorado (AGC 11) - Naval Cruise Book

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HISTORY OF Tl-IF USS FIDORADO The USS ELDORADO, an Amphibious Force Flagship, began her Naval Career August 25, 1944. The ELDORADO was originally designed as the SS MONSOON and built by the North Carolina Ship Building Corporation, Wilmington, North Carolina. The conversion to an Amphibious Force Flagship was accomplished by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation at Brooklyn, New York. The ELDORADO lnamed for a mountain range in Nevadal is 459 feet long and displaces 12,500 tons. Extensive electronic equipment has been placed aboard, as a glance at the superstructure will verify, to enable the ship to accomplish her mission as an Amphibious Force Flagship. As a Force Flagship in amphibious operations, the ELDORADO is responsible for the coordination of all land, surface, and air forces in the conduct of an amphibious assault. As new operational concepts, tactics, and modes of transportation have been developed throughout the years, the ELDORADO has been changed to meet the changing times, as evidenced by the platform on the stern of the ship, which gives the ship the capability of operating helicopters. At the present time the ELDORADO has Rear Admiral E. B. Hooper, Commander Amphibious Group One and his staff embarked. This is the sixth maior staff to be embarked aboard the ELDORADO since her commissioning in 1944. Commander Amphibious Group Four was the first staff to be embarked and was aboard for a period of only two months. On January 10, 1945 the ELDORADO became the flagship for Commander Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet and remained so throughout the remainder of World War ll. As flagship for Commander Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet, the ELDORADO participated in the amphibious invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The end of World War ll found the ELDORADO in Manila Bay. Returning to the States via Pear Harbor, where Commander Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet and Staff were disembarked, the ELDORADO arrived in San Francisco on October 12, 1945. From the end of hostilities on September 2, 1945 until the commencement of the Korean Campaign, the ELDORADO made several trips to the Western Pacific area acting as flagship for Commander Naval Forces, Western Pacific operating in the China area. In- termingled among the tours in the Western Pacific were the never ending training exercises in which all ships participate to maintain their high degree of readiness. One of the exercises was PORTREX, an amphibious assault exercise conducted on the east coast. The ELDORADO made a special trip to the east coast to paricipate in this exercise. On August 28,1950 the ELDORADO, with Commander Amphibious Group Three and staff embarked, departed San Diego for lnchon, Korea. The ELDORADO arrived eighteen days later to participate in the latter stages of the invasion and as a standby Flagship. Altogether the ELDORADO remained in lnchon Harbor 148 days and acted as coordinating ship for the unloading phase. Of the 385 days spent away from her home port, San Diego, the ELDORADO spent 246 days in Korean waters. Pusan, Wonsan, Wolmi Do, and Hungnam became part of the ELDORADO crew's vocabulary. The first pictures of the Kaesong truce talks were transmitted to the outside world from the ELDORADO. In October 1952, the ELDORADO became flagship for Admiral Moore, Commander Amphibious Group One, and as such participated in operation BIG SWITCH, the transporting by water of the Chinese and North Korean POW's from the camps at Cheiu Do and Koie Do to the port of lnchon for repatriation. I On completion of the Korean Campaign the ELDORADO again began her rotation between stateside and the Western Pacific acting as flagship for various force and fleet commanders. From April 15 to August 17,1955, the ship acted as flagship for Commander Seventh Fleet. In 1956 and 1957 the rotation to the Western Pacific was interrupted for replenishment runs to the Arctic area to provide logistical support for our Air Defense Early Warning Stations. On completion of the Arctic replenishment runs the ELDORADO reverted back to her normal operational commitments, partici- pating in several amphibious assault exercises and rotation to the Western Pacific. The last tour in the Western Pacific was climaxed by a trip to Australia for participation in the annual Coral Sea celebration. While in Australia, the ports of Sydney and Brisbane were visited. On May 31,1960 the ELDORADO arrived in San Diego having returned via Pagof The ELDORADO started her current Western Pacific deployment in leaving from San Diego, California last December. Captain Crouch became ELDORADO'S fifteenth commanding Officer when he assumed command January 2, 1962. 4.

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CAPTAIN PARTEE CRQUCI-1 CQMMANDING QFIIICER use ELDQRADQ AGC-11