Grand Canyon (AD 28) - Naval Cruise Book

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Shipping in the Bosphorus with Europe on the right and Asia on the left. We are all members of the Mystic Order of the Flying Carpet. Here was real indication that we were sailors of the Mediterranean. The transit of the Dardenelles, and visit to Istanbnl established our claim to having: traveled the Med from side to side and from top to bottom. Istanbul truly does vie with Naples for the honor of being located on the most beautiful site in all Europe. The anchorage at Istanbul gave us a sweeping view of the Bosphorus. The sun- sets were unmatched except by those of Naples and the nights were truly beautiful. More than that, Istanbul proved to be one of the most modernistic cities in Europe. In- variably, we were surprised to discover the great number of American products in nse there. American automobiles, for example, were a com- mon sight on the streets. lixed with the materialistic present was the heady ritualism of centuries. While the women no longer wear veils, the mosques retain One of the fast and ever=moving ferries. Native bazaar section. A view of the European side.

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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.

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Examples of the t pical architecture. ISTANBUL all of their old traditionalism. The St. Sophia Mosque and the Blue Mosque are truly un- matched in architectural beauty. The interior decorations of these mosques is combination of the bizarre and the mysterious. Istanbul as perhaps no other city in Europe greeted us with generous hospitality. Nowhere was the sight of the American sailor more pleas- ing to the inhabitants and nowhere was there such a bond of friendship as was evinced by our Turkish allies. We were somewhat startled at first, perhaps, to realize that democracy had such firm friends who lived such a great dis- tance from America and the traditional democ- racies of the West. In the final analysis perhaps, we discovered that the union of ideals is a bond that spans con- tinents and ignores distance. Our five days in Istanbul proved to be all too short and we left Bone with the feeling that another few days in Turkey would have been .something more than pleasant. One of the many needles scattered throughout the city. Fancy drinking fountain, eh ' what? The ever=present minaret. M