George MacKenzie (DD 836) - Naval Cruise Book

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Was this one of the finest deployments ever made or do I feel that way merely because I was there as the old man? No matter — the accomplishments are there for the record. Over 50,000 mil6s steamed, 42 underway replenishments without a single mishap, visits to nine ports of call from Hawaii to Africa, a liberty record any ship would be proud of, a remarkable international reception hosted by Big l ac in Colombo, Ceylon for diplomats, ambassadors and attaches of eleven countries for which we received a personal Well Done from the Chief of Naval Operations, an 87 day excursion into the Indian Ocean during the horrendous weather of the dreaded southwest monsoon, celebrating the ship ' s 29th birthday and, to top it all off, winning the E ' s for excellence in weapons, engineering, operations and the big one as the best ship in the squadron. Truly a fantastic cruise which can only happen when there is teamwork. And teamwork only occurrs when a crew is assembled of fine sailors full of leaders and real men. When the time comes to brag to grand- children, my first thoughts will be of Big Mac ' s 1974 cruise and your performance as my crew. BIG MAC

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COMMANDER DAVID E. BUCK, USN COMMANDING OFFICER

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EXECUTIVE OFFICER LCDR Stanley R. !■ Tusker Lager!