John F Kennedy (CV 67) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 12 text:

New Year ' s Day 1972 dawned with KENNEDY still at rest outside Barcelona, Spain. That rest, however, was soon over as the ship got underway to complete major fuel and weapons UNREP ' s prior to anchoring in Naples on the 14th of January. The Naples visit was to be a very brief three days as the ship was underway again to participate in more exercises. February began with NATO exercise National Week XII, then closed with the ship at anchor at Athens, Greece where some engineering repair work was conducted prior to departing on 9 March. March, April and May passed quickly with highly active at sea periods spaced by port visits to Greek, French and Spanish ports. On 21 May while underway from Cannes to Barcelona, KENNEDY conducted an offload to USS MILWAUKEE as part of preparations for returning to Norfolk. But, only three days later, on the 24th, the UNREP was conducted again. This time, however, we were receiving everything back from the MILWAUKEE. USS SARATOGA, scheduled to relieve KENNEDY, had been ordered to Vietnam due to an increase in activity in the war. Then in June USS AMERICA, next in line to relieve us, was diverted to the Southeast Asia theater to relieve the USS CONSTELLATION. This was to keep the CONSTELLATION ' S deployment from extending beyond ten months. So KENNEDY bit down, reached back and kept on keeping on. June and July went by filled with LOADEX ' s and National Week XIII. The end of July brought a two week stay in Palma de Mallorca for a Mini-RAV period. In September KENNEDY outchopped from the Med to participate in NATO exercise Strong Express after having been relieved by USS FORRESTAL. During the exercise a British F-4K Phantom II and a Buccaneer S MK-2B from HMS Ark Royal landed on KENNEDY and an F-4B Phantom II and an A-6 Intruder from KENNEDY landed on Ark Royal. The following day six British planes flew to KENNEDY and six KENNEDY planes landed on the Ark Royal. The cross-decking operation was significant in that it opened the door to increased efficiency in combat conditions and strategic concepts. KENNEDY returned at long last to Pier 12 on 6 October after having been gone for over 10 months. Then on 2 November she entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for an eight week RAV.

Page 11 text:

KENNEDY welcomed in 1971 from anchorage in Athens, Greece and was to watch 1971 leave while in Barcelona, Spain. The year in between would prove to be a very trying, yet rewarding year for all. Broken by some very intense periods of at sea activity, the ship spent January 1971 in Greece, Malta, and Barcelona, Spain. Then KENNEDY out-chopped from Rota on the 18th of February and moored at Pier 12 on 1 March. After a well-deserved, yet, as always, too brief rest, the ship conducted two periods of extremely heavy flight operations during April. Then in May KENNEDY participated in Exercise Exotic Dancer IV. On 22 May KENNEDY entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a two month Restricted Availability. It was on 30 July that the ship actually received that first, most coveted Battle ' E ' , along with the Weapons Black W, AIMD Black ' E ' and the Communications Green C On her way to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on 10 August, and most certainly hoping to see Gtmo come over the horizon rather than the Rock of Gibraltar as had been the case the year before, KENNEDY was host to C NR-2. This marked the first time that a reserve air wing had trained on an Atlantic Fleet carrier. Following the training evaluation in Guantanamo Bay, KENNEDY returned to Norfolk and Pier 12, pausing along the way to conduct two days of flight operations off of the Jacksonville, Florida coast. On the 21st day of August the ship was host to nearly 6,000 visitors during a Dependent ' s Day cruise which gave our guests and dependents the opportunity to observe the ship and air wing team in action. October and November brought a constant chain of events to keep everyone busy as the ship prepared to deploy. Besides the normally heavy schedule of flight operations for a carrier, there was a change of command ceremony; both Naval Surface and Naval Air Reviews for Naval War College guests and foreign dignitaries who were aboard; a three day endurance exercise; and the opportunity for Air Wing One to attack and sink the former USS ROBERTS. On 1 December KENNEDY was underway for the Mediterranean and her third major deployment. Turnover was conducted on the 9th at Rota, Spain with the USS AMERICA. KENNEDY entered the Mediterranean Sea on the 10th of December little knowing how long it would really be before she was to return home. Christmas found the ship in Naples, Italy and New Year ' s Eve was spent just outside the harbor at Barcelona, Spain.

Page 13 text:

1973 was to prove to be another challenging year for the men on board KENNEDY. It began with the completion of the Restricted Availability which had started in November. Included In the shipyard work package was the installation of the EA-6B modification. The completion of the RAV was immediately followed by an INSURV inspection. The Operational Readiness Exercise conducted in February brought to KENNEDY the highest mark yet given to a CV-type ship in damage control. During the month of April, the new walk-in Ship ' s Store was opened, providing a large selection of luxury and necessity items for the crew. KENNEDY ' S orders to deploy to the Western Pacific In March had been rescinded and on 16 April the ship was underway from Pier 12. On 25 April, at Rota, Spain, KENNEDY relieved USS INTREPID (CVS-II) and joined the Sixth Fleet for the commencement of her fourth Mediterranean cruise. This deployment brought KENNEDY back to many ports that were now beginning to become familiar to the newest of the American carriers. Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, Spain, both well loved Spanish ports by Sixth Fleet sailors, and Formia, Gaeta and Livorno, Italy, rarely visited by the large CV ' s. While In Cannes, France KENNEDY lost her 301 ton starboard anchor along with 180 fathoms of chain In 44 fathoms of water. On the 8th of June, with the assistance of the USS OPPORTUNE (ARS-41) we recovered the anchor. During the evolution the Special Sea and Anchor detail was set for 22i 2 hours. On 24 September KENNEDY became the first carrier to pass the CINCLANTFLT Propulsion Examining Board on its first attempt. Having been relieved on 22 September by USS ROOSEVELT (CVA-42) KENNEDY transited the English Channel and joined NATO forces to participate In Swift Move. On 10 October KENNEDY made here first visit to Edinburgh, Scotland. During the brief stay, the crew enjoyed the gracious hospitality of the Scottish people and celebrated the Navy ' s 198th birthday with special general visiting fes tivities. No stranger to the Middle East situation or to operational extensions, KENNEDY was none the less momentarily disheartened when on 25 October she was ordered to rejoin with units of the Sixth Fleet and proceed to the Eastern Med, but, as they had done in the past, the ship and her crew reached down Inside for that little bit extra. KENNEDY was to remain at sea for 50 consecutive days during her ' second Med cruise of this deployment before returning to Pier 12 on 1 December.