John McCain (DL 3) - Naval Cruise Book

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Y I sf? '-li i W il r I tl 1 ' X' i W 3 -lf i 'iQ..e..,,:-' -f , SS John S. MCCQAIIL DL- By LAWRENCE J. RHOADES, JOZ, USN housands watched the sleek, grey ship as she cut her way up the Hooghly River last October to berth at Calcutta, a port city of five million people with the largest natural harbor in northeast India. This was the first time in five years that an American naval vessel had called at the capital' of XYest Bengal. It was also the hrst time that a mod- ern frigate. like Jolm S. .lIfCGli7I, had visited India, where in conjunction with a .five-day good will tour, she was to deliver 555,000 worth of antibiotics and other medicines for victims of the recent floods in that area. Doc- tor N. jungawalla, Director of the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, ac- cepted the shipment, presented on behalf of the United States by the Commanding OHL cer of John S. AlrCaz'n 'Lto strengthen the IN TIIE EASTERN INDIAN OCEAN, JOHN S. McCAlN REPRESENTED ALL AMERICANS During rect-nt good will visits to Calcutta, Rangoon, and Singapore, the officers and men of the frigate were able to visit t-lmraeteristic examples of Far Eastern culture, such as the Buddhaslirine Shwedagon in Rangoon falwucj, to entettain thousands of visitors, including a number of bright-eyed Burmese Boy Scouts Cbnttom, oppositej, and, most important, to bring medicines and food for flood victims in Vilfst Bengal. Miss Maya Banerjee, West Bengal De uty Minister of Relief Cbelowl, helps distribute fruit juices and rice donated by the ship's company to tliie stricken people from the area south of Calcutta. bonds of friendship, understanding, and good will between the free peoples of two great nations. 1 The frigate and her crew also conducted other activities to promote friendship between lndia. and the United States. Among- these were a charity ball at Calcuttals Great East- ern Hotel. organized by the ships crew to raise additional funds for flood relief. football, and basketball gatncs with local Indian tennis, and be-mtl Concerts in the city. Music for the charity ball and the concerts was pro- vided by the seventeen-piece band of the U. S. Seventh Fleefs Destroyer Flotilla ONE. Proceeds, approximately 55I,000, were do- nated to the X'Vest Bengal Flood Relief Com- mittee. The crew also donated 3,500 pounds of foodstuffs from the galley. Prior to the ship's departure from Calcutta on 26 Qcto- ber, the Hlest Bengal government arranged for an Indian cultural program of 'music, dancing, and drama to be presented aboard

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ARY PLANNING STRATEGY FOR AN OPERATION IN THE PACIFIC, DECEMBER 194.4 Vice Admiral john S. McCain lleftj discusses the next Philippines-area employment of Task Force 138 with Admiral William F. Halsey, Commander Third Fleet. The scene is Admiral llalsey's stateroom in his flagship. for the benefit of the oihcers and the men. J olm S. fWcCain was also the first American warship to visit Burma in four years when she docked at Rangoon on 29 October for a four- day visit. During her stay, mutual friendships developed between the 'crew and the Burmese people. Over 46,000 persons turned out to hear the seven public concerts presented by the Destroyer Flotilla ONE band. Huge crowds also gathered to seegthe basketball, softball, and volleyball contests that the shi p's company played with local teams. Over 10,000 Burmese also visited the frigate when she opened her gangway to the general public before her departure on 1 November. i Jnlm S. .M'cCaz'n repeated her two previous performances, but on a smaller scale, when she pulled into Singapore on 4 November for a three-day stay. During her visit the frigate again opened her gangway to visiting groups and played local teams in a number of ath- letic events. In. Singapore, 'Nw Free Press, an English language newspaper, summed up the success of J olm S. i1'If:C'nz'n's cruise, praising her as truly a ship of good willsand citing the excellent attitude and behavior of the crew. Further laurels came from Commander, U. S. Seventh Fleet. econd ship of the rMz'tschcr-class, John S. .McCain was built by the Bath lron VVorks and commissioned at the Boston Naval Shipyard on 12 October 1953. She is 493 feet in length, with a fifty-loot beam. and a full load displacement of 4,400 tons, Originally designated a destroyer, she was re-rated a de- stroyer leader while building in 1951 and again rehrated as a frigate on 1 january 1955.0 The world's largest ships of their type, the five Jlhtsrlwr-class frigatcs in the U. S. Navy are larger than some ships rated as light cruisers in other navies. 5 Authorized and ordered in 1948, John S. .ll fCCOZ'77 was built at a cost of S529,500,000, exclusive of armament. She was designed specifically as a long range fleet type for both administrative and antisubmarine duties. Carrying the latest surface, underwater, and anti-aircraft weapons and newly developed electronic devices for hunter-killer missions she uses homing rorpedoes and forward thrown antifsubmarine rockets as well as iilfeapon Alfa and depth charges. Her de- fensive armament consists ol' two 5-inch guns which are fully automatic-loading, rapid fire, radar-controlled and new 3-inch 70 caliber rnountings installed in 195768 to replace her 5 - 19601 former 5-inch 50-caliber be noted that her advanced system makes her an ehicient fiagship. Lightweight propelling machinery capable of developing 80,000 horsepower plus ad- vanced engineering features not previously in- stalled in fighting ships give her sea speeds over 35 knots. Her generators could meet the needs of a city of 50,000 people, and her re- frigeration and air conditioning equipment has the cooling capacity of a plant making 100,000 pounds of ice per day. Living condi- tions for her sixteen oliicers and 322 men were given particular attention in the design of the ship. There is air conditioning in all living spaces and large, vastly improved berthing and messing facilities. fter spending her first three years operating from East Coast ports with the Atlantic Fleet, John S. MtrCain reported to the Pacific Fleet in late 1956. During her cruise from Norfolk to San Diego, the frigate passed through the Panama Canal and made a good will tour to Peru. In 1957 she participated in the celebration of the Battle of the Coral Sea while on a cruise to Australia. While operating out of San Diego as her home port, she was flagship of Commander, Destroyer Squadron 21. In january 1958 she was transferred to Pearl Harbor and became flagship of Commander, Destroyer Flotilla Five. During her second cruise to the Far East in September 1958, the frigate engaged in patrol and convoy escort, duty in the For- rnosan Straits, while Quemoy was under fire of the Communist mainland guns, and aided the people of Koniya on Amami O Shima, japan, when that city was ravaged by tire. Having completed her Indian Ocean cruise, J olm S. rlr'cCain is now en route to her home 'Ir