John McCain (DL 3) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 7 text:

---H , Much have I toiled in perils of Waves and War. -The Odyssey of Homer ,V gy v 5, f .1 ,- J pg xy, fl .' ' rg., HIL in EC EIT, -v- -II, E13 nm- 'Ar ..,, A Gigi rr..- - '-' 2.5 l.1,k H ,t I-.MQ EN . m ' in llit' Q Fx lk PN' , - 5 bt., Q YIM.

Page 6 text:

ALOHA DL3 UNITED STATES SHIP IUHN S McCAIN X WESTERN PACIFIC CRUISE Sqalemfez 7765- ?65 . Q ,JI I ' ff , ' 1 ,, . A 4-'f X . t .I . I V , -.g N L ,, A RATES SEVf ,XQS N7 Z! 4' QS17 'Q V :NNN 4-C I I f' S? . mf! tif, ' QQ? POWERFQS 1 I

Page 8 text:

USS John S. McCain QDL-33, the second ship of the Mitscher QDL-2, class of frigates, was commissioned 12 October 1953, at the Boston Naty Shipyard. She is named for the late Vice Admiral john S. McCain, who gained fame during World War 11 as the commander of a fast carrier attack force. Admiral William F. HGlSQ1 paid this tribute to Admiral McCain: Your resoursefulness, ingenuigf, stamina, and fighting spirit have been superb. lnadequate though it may be, l give you one more rousing, Afarewell, 'Well done.' V McCain is 493 feet long, 50 feet wide at the beam, 117 feet from waterline to mast tip, and displaces 4400 tons, fulbf loa.ded. Her main engines develop 8o,ooo horsepower, capable ofdelivering speeds in excess of 35 knots. Her four steam driven generators could meet the electrical needs of a cigf of 50,,000. Her fre mains have a capacigf equal to that of the combined' output offve fre trucks. ' The ship is armed with two 5,754 gun mounts and one 3 f70 twin mount. These guns combined can deliver 260rounds per minute. The undersea threat is countered with Weapon Alpha , various antisubmarine torpedoes, and conventional depth charges. Her vast array of electronic detection and communication equipment makes McCain well suited for search and picket duties. ' 'Q Home ported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, McCain- proudbf bears the flag of,Destrq1er Squadron 'Twengf-Five. She normalbf operates with an anti-submarine Hunter-Killer Group, better known as a HUK Group, which is organized around a high speed aircraft carrier. The carrier, her aircraft, and the destroyers in the group work together as a specialized forces to counter t-he enemy's submarine threat. 1 Assigned to the United States Seventh Fleet, McCain operated as an integral unit of the world's largest task fleet. Seventh Fleet's jurisdiction includes nearbf one-sixth of the earth's surface or thirgf million square miles, extending from the Siberian coastal waters to Antartica, and from the Indian Ocean to 160 degrees east longitude, approximateb1 1200 miles east of Guam. Comprised of some 150 ships, 700 aircraft, and 70,000 highbf trained Naxy and Marine Corps personnel, the Seventh Fleet is dispersed throughout this vast ocean area, acting as a deterrent force against enemy agression in the Wester'ni'llJacific and insuring that the sea lanes are kept open for -free world trade. V Duringlthe period from September 1965 to March 1966, MCCein steamed some 57,000 miles engaged in missions ranging from surveillance to shore bombardment. Twice McCain was called upon tolfre at Viet Cong strongholds in South Viet Nam. ln December her, schedule took her to the frigid waters of the Sea of japan for joint operations with units of' the Korean Fleet. ln january she was assigned surveillance of Soviet units operating in the Philippine Sea. Libergf ports ranged from Ghinhae, Korea, to Sydney, Australia. V 4 'E I 1: This, then, the Aloha Cruise of DL-3, as commemorated in the following pages, will live in the memories of the 350 who served, long ajer DL-3 becomes DDG-36.