Forrestal (CVA 59) - Naval Cruise Book

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ship, which sank offthe coast of Bermuda. The effort resulted in 11 crew members being saved. The carrier relieved the USS John F. Kennedy off the coast of Malaga, Spain. Following 25 days at sea, the carrier made her first port visit to the island of Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Afterxoperations at sea Forrestal made her second port visit during the Easter holidays in Naples Italy Because of heightening tensions of the Syrian Missile Crisis the carrier was ordered to the East ern Mediterranean in support of U S foreign policy Forrestal was joined by other ships of the Sixth Fleet A visit from the Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Thomas B Haywood came during that lengthy sea period The admiral praised the crew for their fine performance and re emphasized the importance of a U S naval force in the area After 53 consecutive days at sea the Forrestal resumed normal operations and made a brief stop at Naples for supplies The ship conducted an exer cise with the Italian Greek and French navies fol lowed by a two week visit in Naples During mid July Forrestal became the first carri er to visit the resort city of Benidorm Spain Many sailors felt that Benidorm was the best liberty port of the Mediterranean cruise Forrestals last port visit was to the Spanish city of Malaga On August 1 1th the USS Nimitz relieved the USS Forrestal of her duties in the Mediterranean. The two carriers conducted a joint operation in the Med before Forrestal departed to proceed to the North Atlantic. During this exercise in the Gulf of Sidra, two Nimitz fighters were fired upon in international waters by Libyan aircraft They returned fire in de- fense and shot down the Soviet built aircraft Forrestal continued out of the Mediterranean and participated in Ocean Venture 81 the largest NATO exercise in recent years During the exercise the carrier operated above the Arctic Circle Secre tary of the Navy John Lehman visited the ship while she operated in the North Atlantic and told the crew that their accomplishments throughout the deploy ment had been noted at the highest levels of the government On 15 September after spending almost 75 per cent of her deployment at sea Forrestal returned to a joyous welcome More than 5 OOO wives fam :lies loved ones and friends greeted the carrier as she pulled back into Mayport Florida For more than a quarter of a century Forrestal has lived up to her motto of First in Defense She has played a significant role in our country s naval history and will continue to do so for many years to come

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