Gearing (DD 710) - Naval Cruise Book

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FINALLY WE We are a destroyer named GEARING And we kn While lt s fun to deploy g It s a definite joy Now that finally westward we re steering ow that we ve been quite endearln There were Dawn Patrol, FLAPEX and SPECQPS And more frequently plane guard for fllght o s. , TURN wEsTwARD 1 M600 hours 10 September 1968, GEARING turned her bow towards the hingsun, knowing that it would not deviate from the westward course lirilreaching Newport, seventeen days later. rr 2 1 TURN GVER, i sr l . 2 MALLoRcA 1 1 3 I' i 3 Qnll' OHC Stop occurred on the way to NCWPOYU 21 brief 8 hour turnover period at Pollensa Bay, Mall- lg Orca- GEARING and the rest of Destroyer Division 201 arrived first, but it wasn't long before the stacks ififhe relieving destroyers could be seen on the IESZOH- A cheer went up as our relief, USS BAS- , h0ugllEfDD'fl24D came alongside. When we left a few imOSthater, it was to transit the Strait of Gibraltar 5 Shi C Atlantic, while BASILONE and her sister a P? headed on into the Med to take our places S Sixth Fleet units. E bfgeaed lay a ten-day crossing, marred only slightly . muteP gS1stent storm system that forced a change IU econgm Ut not arrival date.. En route .a hlgh-Speed tion he? Em and an Qperationalu Readiness InspeC- arrived lie P388 the time, and with flying colors.W6 had beennglxlewport w1th the knowledge that the Job Well done! . SSMEX were various, P , All-night UNREPS hilarious Q 3 But now H, M and M will be topis. To the planners we just have to say, That your hard work was clear every day. Q Operations were planned il With a fine lrish hand, A Even weather was handled ire: gaf. l r We'll remember with greatestaffection aa The tabs that provided direction. 3 The events were diverse, A 7' Their descriptions were terse g 3 ,1 r B the wa where's the latest correction? A Y Y: 1 And ,we're grateful to all, we confess, Y. Who gave spare parts and tech aid and, yes, i Though we stayed on the line, r ft if Teamwork helped all the time- That's the secret of Sixth Fleet success! As we sail for the broad ocean deep, We've a new high-speed hurdle to leap. Since we've missed not a day We're now happy to say, Event 2759 will be sleepin -Farewell message DTG 140815Z'SEP 68. H by CDR A. C. Leis r A as 3 1 . Qg pw ' 9 l fi ii i

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THE GEARING NAVYMAN-ASI-IORE Sightseeing. . . Making friends. . . Relaxing. . . Drinking. . . . U .Returning to the ship-a familiar sight ?

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l I I S f. u is 1 3 5 I I I I I 4, 1 1vlluHf- Y, xg mag- Q, 9 I , 15' F I I I i I X I I If I I I. I . ii si 1. I I P. ll li W fl ll -I fl is September 27, 1968--the day everyone has been counting down to. A light rain is falling, but nobody notices. Every men is on deck, straining to catch the first glimpse ofa loved one, or just to see the familiar, surprisingly welcome sight of the piers at Newport. Then, suddenly, we are there! The band is playing some song: there is a hustle to get that first line across. The whistle blows, and somebody has won a motorcycle for the closest guess in the anchor pool. Then the endless wait while lines are doubled up, and men struggle to get the brow across Success! We are home at last! Statistics Nautical miles travelled: 39,900.7 Fuel consumed: 2,894,543 gallons NSFO Fresh water distilled: 2,738,340 gallons Days at sea: 122 Days in portfat anchor: 55 Visitors on board: 1100 Spent ashore: about 530,000 - Spent aboard: 551,000 of which 524,000 was for foreign merchandise Mail received: 14,800 lbs. Mail dispatched: 8,000 lbs. S6 near and yet so far-a picture of frustration! At last, the ulf is bridged. Six months is a long time 8 but it's all forgotten now! Staff Editor-LTJG Gordon Roy Morris Writing Assistant-ETR3 Regardie Photographs-many contributors Tech. Assist-SN Pessin 0thef5-a5 noted TIFFANY PUBLISHING COMPANY printed in Norfolk, Virginia Tokyo, Japan San Diego, Cal1f0m1a za ....,..-,,,... ., ....