Gearing (DD 710) - Naval Cruise Book

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CDR ALFRED C. LEIS, USN .Many long hours are spent bv the Captain on the bricl e Lee 1 track ofthe fast-changing tactical situation and ensuring Eh' Pfflg ofthe ship for which he, and he alone, is ultimatelv resgonsliljlii Cty corv1rv1AND1No OFFICER . Commander Alfred C. Leis, USN, has been our Commanding Officer since july 1, 1967. Formerly an enlisted quartermaster, Commander Leis was commissioned in january, 1951, and has served a total of 22 years in the United States Navy. His background is varied, having taken part in search and rescue operations during Z7 months aboard patrol craft in the Pacific during the Korean conflict, and having served as First Lieutenant, Operations Officer, and Executive Officer on the USS NEWPORT NEWS CCA-148j, USS BRISTOL CDD-8575, and USS VESOLE CDDR- 8785 respectively. In addition, Commander Leis has been assigned posts as Aide and Flag Secretary to Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla Six, and Operations Plans Officer on the staff of Commander, Cruiser- Destroyer Flotilla Ten. Ashore, his assignments have included positions with the Military Sea Transport Service, Atlantic, and the Bureau of Naval Personnel. Commander Leis attended the Command and Staff Course at the Naval War Col- lege in Newport, Rhode Island, and has also served there on the staff in the War Games De- partment. He came to GEARING from the position of Executive Officer of USS YOSEMITE CAD-19l, flagship for Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Civilian training has also served to prepare Commander Leis for his positions of respons- ibility in the Navy. He holds degrees in Market- ing and Management, and in International RC- lations from New York University and George Washington University. Mrs. Leis is the former Barbara Blau, from 'the home town of Commander Leis, New York City- They now reside with their three children ID Newport.

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AND TODAY. In vital statistics, GEARING boasts a length of 390 feet, a breadth of 41 feet, and design displace- ment of 3040 tons. Her four Babcock and Wilson oil- fired, express-type boilers, recently rebuilt, supply Steam to turbines driving twin screws which can develop up to 60,000 shaft horse-power, and speeds in excess of 30 knots. Even more vital than the statistics are the men aboard GEARING. This has been a typical year, during which the 240 enlisted and 15 officer husbands and sons have been in homeport only 30 percent of the time. The understanding and perserverence of wives and families is instrumental in the outstanding performance of, GEARING Navymen wherever the ship has been called upon to serve. If there is to be a dedication of this story of our Mediterranean Deployment 1968, it must be three-fold: First, to the Captain, Commander Leis, whose ex- ample and leadership have been a continuing source of inspiration, second, to our families and loved ones, whose contribution has already 'been mentioned, and third, to the officers and men. of GEARING, whose professional, dedicated performance has truly been a Hlabor of love. Though not often called that, it is the only way to describe the cooperation and team- work that have been evident throughout the cruise, whether setting a new recordpduring refueling oper- Iations, or tenderly passing orphans down the accomo- dation ladder to the waiting boat. Those individuals recognized below are just a few of the outstanding Navymen who epitomized this Labor of Love, . - Q. ,- I .- f .,. if A. Condo, QM1 McManus, BT2 OC Division B Division f-Q ci Z ,lf Q X Over 240 enlisted personnel were unknowingly in competition for the award of Sailor of. the Cruise. The six named here were nominated by- division and department officers, and two were voted to share the title. QM1 Condo and BT2 McManus are the recipients of this honor by virtue of their consistent outstanding devotion to duty, thorough professionalism, and con- crete contributions to the command. The initiative, loyalty, forehandedness, and dependability they dis- played during the deployment served as a model for others in formulating the shipwide espirit de corps so vital to successful operations. As career Navymen, they were untiring in their ef- forts to transmit their experience and sense of tra- dition, self-discipline, and responsibility t0 their subordinates, so 'that they might be every bit as re- sourceful, conscientious, and effective as the new challenges of today's Navy require. Both ashore and aboard, their deportment and military appearance have been flawless. . 'Well donel' to all those who were nominated, and to those selected. Runners-fupz 4 ETR3 J. Kincaid FTG3 D. Potter GMG3 T. Schetzel C53 B. Walag NE- - fb

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EXECUTIVE OFFICER Lieutenant Commander Ronald P. Zwart, USN, became our Executive Officer in -September, 1967, bringing with him a wide range of experience in nearly ten years of active service in the U.S. Navy. LCDR Zwart received his Bachelor of Arts degree at Dartmouth College where he was a member of the Navy ROTC program. Further education following his commissioning as Ensign, USN, in 1958, included the Defense Intelligence Course in Washington, D.C., and study in the Arabic language at the Defense Language Institute, also in Washington. The latter prepared him specifically for a two-year assignment as Assistant Naval Attache at. the United States Em- bassy in Cairo, United Arab Republic immediately prior to reporting aboard GEARING. At sea, LCDR Zwart has served aboard USS FAL- GOUT CDER-3243, homeported in Pearl Harbor, where he was successively Communications Officer, Com- bat lnformation Center CCICQ Officer, and ,Operations Officer, and aboard USS SOLEY CDD-707j homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, as Operations Officer. LCDR Zwart holds the National Defence Service medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary medal, and joint Services Commendation medal. In addition to his duties as Executive Officer, he also acts as the Ship's Navigator aboard GEARING. Originally calling Darien, Connecticut his home, LCDR Zwart now lives in Newport with his wife, Renate, and their two daughters. . AS Executive Officer, much of LCDR Zwart'S time is SPC? Slffmfi through stacks of correspondence, instructions, notices and 1fCCf1VC that are so Vital a part of any naval command. LCDR RONALD P. ZWART, USN