Greenwich Bay (AVP 41) - Naval Cruise Book

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Piazza Acquaverde and statue of Columbus American Consul General coming aboard Isle of Stromboii 30

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Piazza della VHtorla Most of the men tried 5ome of the world famous Italian pizza or mile long spaghetti they had heard so much about, but after a sampling many would settle for that put out by the Venice or Sor- rento ' s in Norfolk Genoa on a whole was not as clean as France, nor as modern. Our stay in Genoa was limited to only two days and when we sailed we looked back on what was to be our last big liberty before we hit the Middle East. The morning after leaving Genoa we stopped in Naples, shadowed by Mount Vesuvius for a period of only two hours and then put out to sea again. The crew was afforded a brief look at the Isle of Capri and Stromboli on the way to the Straits of Messina. Greenwich Bay Arriving Italian Liner Chrlstoforo Colombo I allan Police Joins Our Shore Patrol li ' .r. ,:.:, .. n.i p A -

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MIdmorning of the I 8fh of July, after the hot sun had been up for a few hours, our forward look- out reported the sighting of Port Said, (pro- nounced SY-eed), on the horizon, and in a matter of about an hour we took our first look at the Suez Canal. It is here at Port Said that the Suez begins. No liberty was afforded the crew however. Our first of three canal pilots came aboard here at Port Said and upon completion of final preparations the foc-sle detail heaved in the anchor and we began our trek through the canal. Just before entering the canal proper, we exchanged call signs with two British frigates heading north. We didn ' t know whether to envy them or not, the sun was getting hotter and we saw nothing but desert before us. Was this to be our fate? We began to see the type of land and the climate we would become accustomed to during the next 5 months — desert and palm trees. The heat of the desert was searing, but we would get to know the heat also. Upon completion of transit, the canal emptied into the biblical Red Sea where we set a course for Aden on the tip of Saudi- Arabia. Old Egyptian boat Entering the Suez at Port Said 31