Greenwich Bay (AVP 41) - Naval Cruise Book

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w hip 6 CAPTAIN J. G. LEWIS, USN Commanding Officer JX ) k ) O. T. KNIGHT. LCDR Operations Officer Globe, Arizona R. J. BAKER, LT. Air Officer Los Anqeles. California T. F. SILVA, JR.. LTJG C. £. GIFFIN. JR.. LTJG Medical Offcer Conimicut. R I Ass ' t Communications Officer Weslhdven, Conn. V I

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were fortunate to visit Massawa and As- mara, Eritrea in the Red Sea. The Green- wich Bay is one of the elite trio of ships which rotate between the States and the Gulf, the other two being the USS VAL- COUR (AVP-55) and the USS DUXBURY BAY (AVP-38), both sister ships of the GB . They differ only in placement of guns and a few minor below deck altera- tions. The Greenwich Bay was changed to an all white mask from the traditional Navy grey in 1949 and also underwent the installa- tion of a complete air-conditioning system, and while in the Persian Gulf, is rigged with topside awnings fore and aft. These altera- tions are necessary to the health and com- fort of the crew because of the extremely high temperatures of the Gulf area which sometimes reach in the 140 ' s and 150 ' s in the shade, and there is very little shade to be had on Bahrain Island, except for a few palm and date trees and assorted huts. The overall length of the Greenwich Bay Is only 310 feet, approximately the length of a football field, and she has a relatively shallow draft which enables her to maneu- ver in and about the shallow waters of the Gulf with apparent ease. At the present time, the GB is under the very able com- mand of Captain J. G. LEWIS, and has a complement of 15 officers and 191 men in shlps ' s company. An additional 6 offi- cers and I I men come aboard with the Staff, MIDEASTFOR, foremost of whom is Rear Admiral H.H.HENDERSON, Com- mander Middle East Force. The ship ' s primary mission in the Middle East is to promote a feeling of good will and the show of power, with modesty and dignity to the people of the Middle East who look to the United States for protec- tion and guidance. Each man of the ship from the Admiral, who meets dignitaries, down to the last seaman, who meets the people, and whom the people watch and base their impres- sions on, has a responsibility to the diplom- acy of the ship and to their country. This year, as usual, all have done the job well. The whole ship hopes that in future cruise books, in the pages of naval history and in the annals of our government, it will go down that this crew of fine, young American men, their officers and the ship itself, have increased the already estab- lished welcome of the United S -ates in the Middle East. We also hope that we have sailed our ship with pride — pride in our ship, pride in our country and pride in our- selves for being members of that ship and that country.

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O pcet COMMANDER C. R. DODDS, USN Executive Officer E. J. CARROLL. JR.. LT. Navigator Bell, California h K V. P. M. BRUENING, LT. Supply Officer Chicago, Illinois W. NITKIN, LTJG Communicaflons Officer Hempstead. L.I,. NY. A. G THOMSON. LTJG W. G. SMITH, JR., LTJG Gunnery Officer Chaplain Little Falls, N.J, Columbia, SC. V. H. STIEGLITZ. JR.. LTJG F. P. HILGARTNER. ENS R. B. ZIEGLER. ENS H. M. PETTEBONE, ENS R. D. SIKKEMA, CHBOSN Engineering Officer Administrative Assistant Damage Control Assistant The Plains. Virginia Madrid, Spain Cedar Grove, NJ. k , Disbursing Ofticer Forty Fort. Pa. First Lieutenant Savanna, Illinois