Gearing (DD 710) - Naval Cruise Book

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The bullring at Malaga stands out among the high rise l artments and traditional fOWHl'1OUSCS of this Spanish A HP l l resort area. l l 1 l I f e I 1 l i 1 l T l E 1 I F 4 i One man, one bull face each other as the centuries-old drama of the bullfight is re-enacted once more. Parts of Malaga still retain the old World atmosphere of a Spanish village. ' 7 Personal attention is. given to showing visitors the ship. Spanish children receive a holiclft treat in one of L Y Malagfs many beautiful parks.

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MALAGA, SPAIN After leaving Newport on April 4, 1968, GEARING, along with other ships of Destroyer Squadron TWENTY, commenced the nine-day transit across the Atlantic Ocean. After two choppy days the routine settled down to steaming in formation, with plenty of exercises to prepare our reactions for the coming deployment. GEARING carried several radio-controlled drone air- planes which were used as targets for air gunnery exercises. The transit was smooth with one exception: a man overboard from another ship caused a'reversal in course. He was picked up unharmed after twelve hours in.the water. . Easter weekend found-us at Malaga, Spain to relieve USS CONWAY QDD-S075 and officially begin duties with the United States.Sixth Fleet. The city, celebrated IH the famous song 'Malaguena', is a popular year-round resort on the Spanish Riviera. The deep Christian heritage of the people was evident as Easter S11I1ClaY was a full-scale religious holiday, complete Wlth costumed processions through the streets. The bullfight season begins on Easter,-and some of us saw our first bullfight amid throngs of avid Spaniards. Others travelled to nearby Torremolinos to enjoy SUD, Sand, and the best night life around. Several of US hired one of the quaint horse-drawn carriages, little realizing that nearly every Mediterranean port has a similiar tourist attraction conveniently located rleaf fleetilanding. .

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The delicious spaghetti dinner on Mt. Etna featured mush- rooms and peas instead of tomato sauce. Volcanic rocks and ash making up the last thousand feet were conquered by foot. The beautiful open harbor at Giardini, Sicily became the setting for a week's visit by GEAR- ING. Giardini is on the site of the ancient, Greek colony of Naxio, buried by an eruption of Mt, Etna. The survivors built Taormina on the thou- sand-foot cliffs to the north of Giardini. Today, Giardini is a beach resort for the holidays or for retirement, and Taomina retains the flavor ofa Sicilian village at festival time. As the only ship present, GEARING enjoyed the warm hospitality to its fullest, and we were able to return the favor. A number of visitors toured the ship, including the mayors of the two towns, and over 75 orphans from nearby insti- tutions. Ashore, we swam and skin dove, visited the many cafes of Taormina, and shopped in the village of Castel Mola, perched on a pinnacle 1,000 feet above Taormina. Tours were arranged to Mt. Etna, 40 miles away. When the bus could go no farther, a dusty, bumpy jeep ride was available for those who dared to try for the top. Getting there turned out to be half the fun! The smell of sulfur, the feel of warm rocks underfoot, the sight of a thousand-foot-deep crater over- flowing with smoke and steam while another one rumbled and tossed out lava and ashes, are all impressions we will long remember. Back on board ship, the nights were aglow with the red lights from two active lava streams visible from Giardini. Found on top ofa mountain. tri 7' - W lgws of flying lava and smoking craters were Worth thC il l l 5 i 1 l i l r 2 Q l i -I .-1 --S