Firedrake (AE 14) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 13 text:

I lu- LMC loudspeaker system on the gianl carrier booms Flight quarters ' Prepare tcir emergency launch ! ' Within minutes, sleek jet fighters are rolled across the broad decks .ni l attached to catapult hooks. Their racks hllcd with olive-green bombs, the planes streak to the ambush area and batter the enemy as the Marines evacuate and continue their endless search

Page 12 text:

4C f Hip-deep in water, a large squad of U. S. Marines advances through a rice paddy in the Republic of Vietnam. With ears pricked and strained eyes peering out from under bur- dening steel helmets, they move slowly and cautiously in their endless search for the Viet Cong. On a search-and-destroy mission to flush out the Communists, the Marines ' attention is suddenly diverted by a volley of automatic rifle fire. ' Take cover ' is the cry, and the body of a Marine splashes lifeless into the puddled water. 1 he officer-in-change pancakes behind a rise in the damp soil and radios the Command Headquarters on his walkie-talkie. His company headquarters then radios the air group assisting in ground support operations. The call is answered on an aircraft carrier steam- ing in the nearby South China Sea and the message is received— ' There are 25 men in a squad that is surrounded in Zone I) by a large concentration of enemy forces with auto- matic rifles. Request immediate assistance ' ' '

Page 14 text:

The successful completion of this operation depends to a great extent upon the performance of the FIREDRAKE ' s crew.