Harry Yarnell (CG 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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dam. Antwerp, Oslo, Cork, Kiel. Portsmouth. Edinborough. among others. But Poland was a bit more special. Thousands of people stood in lines to board K. L FF.MAN and HARRY E. VAR- NELL throughout two long days of touring. Tour hours were extended until sunset to ac- commodate large crowds, leaving only a handful of Poles without a first-hand view of a US naval vessel. Older couples, boyfriends and girlfriends, families, and children all stood patiently in line during the unusually hot and sometimes rainy weather. At times the wait to see the ships was as long as five hours. To help liven up this wait, sailors talked with the people, many of w hom spoke surpris- ingly good English. When you would ask if they spoke English, remarked SN Steven Miller, They ' d shyly say a little. They ' re too modest. To us , they ' re little is a lot. Questions most frequently asked by the curious Poles included: How many men were on each ship? How long did they stay aboard, and were the sailors conscripts or volunteers? The answer to the last question always ap- peared to impress the Poles, who already look- ed at the ships with a mild reverence. It ' s so beautiful. I want to stay here, mused Polish medical student . ' gnieszka Sokolowski. Com- pliments on the cleanliness and preservation of the ships abounded, and were welcomed by the men who put in the many extra hours needed to complete the visit ' s finishing touches. The crew is loving this, LCDR Joseph Hill observed, Today every man is a celebri- ty, signing autographs on those welcome aboard brochures for every visitor, especially the kids. Some guys even complaining that their hands are tired. It seemed like an un- spoken competition among the Polish children to see w ho could get the most American signa- tures. Often an autograph alone would not satisfy them without an endorsement To Anne or the inclusion of a hometown in the states. Did you see the little girls curtsy after you signed your name? They were so cute they almost broke my heart, reminisced OS3 Harry Brewer. Official calls are obligatory during any port visit and such commitments were in- creased in number and importance in this port. RADM Paulsen had the opportunity to greet the crowds soon after a Polish military band gave the ships a stately pierside wel- come. Joined by the American Ambassador to Poland, Mr. John Davis, and the Com- manding Officers of Y.ARNELL and KAUFFMAN, Captain Gary W. Zwirschitz and Commander Ron Bogle, the admiral made a round of calls on newly elected local officials in the coastal cities of Gdansk. Sopot and Gydnia. A live press conference was held

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POLAND More I hail Showing the Mag. A Taranlul Palrol Boat glided in escort 700 yards oil I SS HARR K. ARNELL ' s bow as ail hands manned the rail, their stiff salutes momentarily blinking as a 21 gun salute punc- tured the air. The ensigns atop I SS KAL ' FF- MAN ' S and I SS HARRY K. ARNKM S masts viewed a port that had not seen such flags in over 71 years. On June 27. 1990 thousands of Polish citizens welcomed the Unites States Navy with open arms, friendship and hope. Preparations for this historic visit to Gydnia. Poland (less than 25 miles from Gdansk) had begun by the Rhode Island-based guided missile frigate USS KAITTM N (FFG 9) as early as January. LSS H. RR E. ' .ARNF.I.L (CG 17), returning from a six month Med deployment, had her work cut out: i e weeks to prepare for another two month de- ployment, embarking RADM T.R. Paulsen and the COMCRLUi;SGRL staff, and finaii ing details on matters from port facilities to recep- tion menus. ARNELL and KAL FF.MAN visited other North Sea and Baltic ports along with Norfolk-based destroyer I SS BRISCOE (DD 977), Heet oiler LSS .MONOG.VHEl.A (AO 178). and fast frigate ISS PHARRIS (FFl 084). These ships comprised the U.S. Bat- tle Force participating in B.M.TOPS 90, an an- nual NATO e.xcrcise designed to provide train- ing, show a commitment to NATO and empha- size freedom of the seas. While demonstrating the freedom to con- duct such operations within the geographic con- fines of the Baltic, the task group worked rou- tinely under the watchful eyes of Soviet and Eastern Block naval and intelligence units. As goodwill ambassadors, the U.S. Baltic Force covered much ground, making positive impres- sions during port visits to Copenhagen. .Amster-

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onboard VARN ' ELL as the Admiral and Commanding Officers answered questions for about an hour. Naval Honor Guards saluted two of Poland ' s most sacred memorials, lay- ing a wreath at Westerplatte near Gdansk, commemorating the valiant resistance of Pol- ish troops against the German invaders who fired the first shots of World War II there. Another wreath was placed at the Solidarity .Memorial, in Gdansk, in memory of the 28 dockworkcrs killed during the 1970 Gdansk Shipyard Strike. Special visits to the American ships were reciprocated by the Polish navy. US ofncers and sailors were able to tour several Polish na- val vessels including a Kilo class submarine. Interaction between the Polish and .American sailors was not limited to an official level. Both ship ' s sports teams participated in bas- ketball, volleyball, and soccer matches against their Polish counterparts. Area uni- versity students even hosted a dance club nights for two bus loads of American sailors. As the crossed flags on the pins handed out by K.VIFFM.AN suggested, ties between the two countries, both political and person- nel, grew stronger as a result of the visit. Ove r 40 volunteers from the two ships lent a hand, and a paintbrush, to St. Bridget ' s Catholic Church, parish of Solidarity figure Father Jankowski. Others from V.ARNELL con- structed and installed a set of stairs for a local orphanage. HT2 Timothy Perriard. designer and builder of the steps, described the task as Fun. I know it ' s something I ' ll never forget. When one visit was over, an even larger crowd gathered to see the two ships off. The band and honor guard exchanged salutes with the admiral. Though the crews of both ships were tired from the work involved, they were sad to see the visit come to an end so quickly. .As brief as it was. bonds had been formed with the Polish people and quite a few pen pals would be receiving letters in the following months. When the ships pulled away a flurry of white hats flew toward the pier, small tok- ens of remembrance attached to memories for years to come. Leaving the channel that had given the new world so many Polish immi- grants a few generations before, a question from an unidentified Pole seemed, at once, to embody both his people ' s appreciation for the visit and their hope for more US ship visits in the near future: What took you so long to come ' 95