Guadalupe (AO 32) - Naval Cruise Book

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CRUISE HISTORY GUADALUPE departed from Long Beach on 11 January with a large but some- what inexperienced crew. On the second day however, a rendezvous was effected with destroyer division 52, and we began to dabble seriously in the intricate art of replenish- ment at sea. As luck would have it some of the roughest weather of the entire cruise was encountered practically within sight of our dearly beloved California Coast, so within a matter of days we were practically professionals, or so we thought. Two days in Hawaii provided a pleasant breathing spell and a last look at the USA for some time. From there it was Westward all the way to the exotic, romantic Philippine Islands and our unforgettable new home port. The first week of operations was somewhat of a shocker. Forty ships in seven days seemed just a bit unreasonable, and a good many of us were ready to head for home right then and there. But we were rewarded with a trip to Kaohsiung, and we de- cided that perhaps things were not all that bad after all. The next three months were the meat of the cruise. During this stretch we were on the go constantly and soon felt right at home in the South China Sea. It was a relatively painless sort of a period as the work load evened out and most of us had be- come inured to the idea of spending nine months away from home. It was also a period which found GUADALUPE not only taking her place in the war effort, but also mak- ing a name for herself as an enthusiastic operator and a doer who knew the meaning of the word support An auxiliary type ship is considerably different from the more glorious and well-known combatant fleet, but GUADALUPE created her own sense of pride early in the cruise, and this pride grew with the quality and frequency of ser- vices provided. The word began to get around about us. GUADALUPE was the ship who never missed her commitment and always begged for more, GUADALUPE was the ship who never filed casualty reports because she fixed things herself, and GUADALUPE was the ship who gave away her own bread, ice cream, and fruit eagerly because she understood her duty as a support ship. We found that there was satisfaction in the knowledge that our hard work played a vital role in the overall team effort in Vietnam, and this satisfaction made the work load seem lighter. From the end of February to the end of May we saw little but Subic and Vietnam. There was a swim call or two and a dash to the equator with all the traditional initia- tion and ceremony, but basically this was a period of work. However, on 20 May we went to Hong Kong, the bargain center of the Far East. It was only a five day visit, but it was almost one hundred percent rest and relaxation, and we were all somehow aware that we had reached the peak and that the road would henceforth be a downhill one. The month of June brought with it more operating, a 25th Anniversary celebra- tion, and a disheartening five week extension, the second of three. But in spite of the extension the worst had passed. GUADALUPE operated to be sure, but her schedule was more diversified, and the time passed quickly. We saw Kaohsiung again and then headed north for five weeks in and around Japan. We spent three days in Yokosuka, and some of the lucky ones were able to make the trip to Tokyo. The next two weeks found us involved in a lengthy exercise with the Japanese and Korean navies prior to a full week in Sasebo. Japan was a pleasant and enjoyable interlude and we found it difficult to leave, but the cruise was moving onward towards completion, and we were more than ready to move with it. The last month and a half was filled with much work, some serious play as we visited Hong Kong again, and considerable anticipation as our departure date began to loom ever nearer. Operations were completed on 21 September, and shortly there- after the going home work began. After a final frantic week in Subic, GUADALUPE bid adieu to the Republic of the Philippine Islands and headed for the barn some 6532 miles away. On 17 October GUADALUPE completed her 1966 odyssey which covered 57,000 miles, nine months and six days, and involved pumping 43,267,881 gallons of fuel to 896 satisfied customers. GUADALUPE became a grandmother in 1966, but she proved beyond a doubt that she is still just as much a queen as ever.

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