Grand Canyon (AD 28) - Naval Cruise Book

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Operations a i)jatlon and 5th Division battle it out tor the ship soft ball championship at Suda Ba . SUDA BAY Suda Bay has never enjoyed that degree of popularity with men of the SIXTH Fleet that is enjoyed by Cannes, Naples or Istanbul. We discovered that this was not due to the people. Indeed, they were as friendly as any we were to meet in Europe. Nor was it due to maritime difficulties, because no better harbor could be found. The cause of this ' Oh no not Suda! attitude was that one couldn ' t leave main street without leaving- the city limits. The approaches to Suda Bay were as pretty as any we had yet seen. The weather was ter- ribly hot when we arrived on 31 March. And so it wasn ' t but a few hours until the balls, bats, and gloves were being issued from the Athletic Gear Locker. Cold beer was broken out and ' ' i» ' ud Middleweight Vinni Lannie scoring with a hard right. Lannie went all the way to win this amateur title, scoring two KO ' s. dispensed at the E I club for fifteen cents a can (Oh me I Norfolk was never like this! » : Ieanwhile. the SIXTH Fleet Athletic Committee was busily planning a Smoker. For nine days we worked hard and played hard. At Suda Bay we overhauled everything from destroyers to the USS CHE WAIT AN. At times we had ships on both sides, ileauwhile, the Supply Department was busy loading stores (ably assisted by one hundred hard working parties. ) But if we worked hard, it can be said that we played hard. Fifth Division and Oper- ations-Navigation Divisions battled down to the wire in the Inter-Divisional Softball Tourney. (Fifth Division won by the way. but wait until next year. ) ileanwhile, the officers and men of Lt. J(i Krank Hughes counts em out as another (irand Can on boxer wins. The tight crowd at Suda Ba . Sold plent beer too. . '

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Repleiiisliiiig: the Sixtli Fleet at sea was a major mission. During tliis cruise the ship took part in some of the largest at sea replenishments ever accomplished in the ilediterranean area. Sometimes our de cks became a little cluttered and sometimes the ■eather became a bit rough, but replenishment went on. and mail could al- ways come through by helicopter. 1 ms, ea

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The ever popular mail plane. 5 Jam r . You might say the terrain is rugged in Crete. Suda Bay. That ' s all there is there ain ' t no more. W KB the GRAND CANYON displayed their talent for arranging S MOKERS. We soon found that many among us had liidden talents. It wasn ' t long before we assembled muslL-ians, singers, masters of ceremony, boxers, wrestlers, referees, announcers, judges, and a corp of hard working beer and sandwich dispensers. For three days the GRAND CANYON was host to the SIXTH Fleet and men from every ship put on the gloves, fighting a total of twenty-four bouts for the pleasure of their shipmates. When we li(}ve short at Sl ' DA and made preparations for departing for Istanbid, it could be said that Suda Bay had been rocked from one end of main street to the next and that the Repair force had accomplished another outstanding overhaid period. It had been work, but it was fun. too. B The Fifth Division U.S.S. Grand Canyon lntra«Division Softball Cham° pions, Suda Bay, Crete, 1952. Standing, left to right: Sullivaan, H. E., Monts, B. D., Rusak, S. J., Loupe, L. J., Bright, W., VanHorn, J. B., Battista, R., Pognant, J. L. Bottom row: Ennis, R. L., Doh= ner, J. H., Flanagan, W. S., Lattaweic, W., Scalero, T., Pilote, R. R., Sitz, M. H. The fights were good, the seats ringside, and the beer cold.