Greenwich Bay (AVP 41) - Naval Cruise Book

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mp ' %! - »- r - - ; , ,i — ■■ , i Aden sits like a sentinel on the gateway to the Red Sea. Unlike her sister towns of Crater and Sheik Oman which are nestled right in the gaping nnouth of the crater, Aden is built around the fringes of an extinct volcano. Aden serves mostly as a refueling depot for ships going to and from the Orient. The crew was afforded little liberty there, although there were some souvenirs to be bought and the ship had several softball games at the British recreation field. The town of Aden itself was dirty and small, the people, mostly Arab shared their humble abodes with their livestock which consisted mostly of the goat, an animal we would see much of before our cruise came to an end. As the fuel tanks registered full, and all +he men were safely back aboard, the GB ' headed NE towards the Persian Gulf and the relief of the USS Valcour, our sister ship which had been in the Middle East since April. Need a tow?

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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

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Wei ate and ( ecteaticH Ccmtnittee One member of each division Is elected to the welfare and recreation committee for the purpose of planning and promoting recreation for the crew through representation. REPRESENTATIVES R. AMELL, GM3. F Division T. O. BURNESTON. GMC, CPO J.T. FISHER, RM3, OC Division J. D. HARMON, SK2, S Division E. W. MORIARTY, AT2, V Division L. A. RUMMAGE, QMI, N Division M. WALLER. BM3, D Division S. K.WILSON, HMI, X Division H. V. YUNKER, EN3, M Division G. ZINKAN, RDSN, OE Division j3