Gearing (DD 710) - Naval Cruise Book

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,,, jgtgmmg-5 , 1 BA DOL, FRANCE Everyone wore lifejaclcets as the liberty boat made its way ashore, not to return until the next morning. At long-last we reached the French Riviera, the resort town of Bandol, between Toulon and Marseilles, with the finest beaches in the area. It was an amazing week. We anchored in the harbor, a 15-minute boat ride from Fleet Landing, which was in a pro- tected cover near the center of town. However, the weather in the harbor was chilly for August 10-16, and the wind made things rather choppy. As a result, the capacity of the motor whale- boat was cut from 15 to 9 passengers per trip on rough days, and twice boating was cancelled. Once, when the ship was taking 1'5-degree rolls while at anchor, the boat, a small liberty party, and the beach guard shore patrol were stranded ashore overnight. ' Nevertheless, during the 6-day stay about 450 curious Frenchmen and others on holiday toured the ship. A number were given a picnic supper while waiting for their return trip ashore. Those sailors who got ashore, meanwhile, found excellent restaurants, a long sandy beach, and the island of Bendor to explore. A Afew sailboaters ventured out into the choppy harbor, while stacks of refuSC awaited our return to deep Water away from shore to be dumped over the side.

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i J INCLUDING A ToUR. L l lB0th groups that toured Rome were able iioreceive the blessing of Pope Paul VI iin English as Well as Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, and German. I 'ir 'A' i l i l Dark, narrow stair4streets just a few steps lrom theufashionable Via Roma in Naples were familiar sights to GEARING visitors. In a very short time we saw ancient and modern wonders of Rome, from the Coliseum to the present government buildings. No Mediterranean deployment would be complete Without a stop at Naples. This southern capital of Italy has become an institution among Sixth Fleet sailors, and although the city has long ago learned every trick in the book and then some, nearly everyone wants to try his hand at exploring and conquering it for himself. There is something for everyone-street vendors who will sell you sunglasses or tapestries of the Last Supper, those who try to show you the town, restaurants featuring pizza, ravioli, spaghetti, and other Italian specialties, historic castles, forts, churches and museums, and, of course, the opera. A large number of Sixth Fleet ships were in Naples with us, so that it was possible to arrange tours to Rome, Capri, Ischia, and Pompeii. The two and three-day Rome tours were outstanding, and those of us Who could take advantage of them saw literally hundreds of historic spots from before the time of Julius Caesar to the present. The Vatican Was a high spot, particularly the Sistine Chapel and museum.Both groups visited the summer residence of Pope Paul VI in a beautiful setting high above a lake and surrounded by lush forest. The Pope himself appeared to give his blessing to the thousands gathered, hoping for at least a glimpse of the Roman Catholic Pontiff. ml... 1 l -T-he crowd at Trevi Fountain - one coin for a return? to Ruiuc, - - who lcnOWS. two for a happy marriage, alld three

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. if LTJG Olldara calls for instructions while acting as Beach Guard at Fleet Landing in Bandol. 4 i When not soaking up the Riviera sun, Frenchmen on holiday take in a modified game of bowling. f Naval ROTC Midshipman as We were grateful for the hnguisticlilbliiiilisccdulld handle tried to come aboard many more potential visitors than t C anyway! ' 4 4 Qi 1 4, I4 SI4 4 42 I H4 44 14 K4 44' W4 ,4 4 4ll il l 4 4 f 4 ll 44+ l 4 l l V ll? 44l 'fi 4 ll 44 441 W, 44 4., 4:4 4 i 7 44444