Kidd (DDG 993) - Naval Cruise Book

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(cont from pg 16) southbound ships. MCINERNEY had to remain behind in Port Said due to an engineering casualty. At first there was not much to see unless one was using a pair of the night vision goggles held by the signalmen. Occasionally one would see a tank or a military truck along the shore. When daylight came, evidence of the military buildup in the canal zone was easy to see. Along the banks of the canal there were tanks, trucks, tents, troops, and anti-aircraft gun batteries. The farther south we travelled, the more military equipment we saw. Also present on the banks of the canal were the remains of a war which was fought between Israel and Egypt many years ago. Scattered about m the sand were the rusting hulks of tanks and trucks, serving as a reminder of how unstable this region of the world has been and still is. Traffic on the canal is one-way. The daily Northbound and Southbound convoys meet at the Great Bitter Lake where one of the convoys anchors while the other proceeds. On this day the Southbound ships anchored. Only a few hours later we were on our way again with about half of the transit to go. PholobN MS:tR.i .. 17

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The ship arrived at the Northern terminal of the Suez Canal - Port Said - on the 31st of January. We were just one day too late to be able to collect tax free pay for the month of January. The entrance to the canal was crowded with many other ships but KIDD and MCINERNEY were the only warships present. We moored in a fashion that can be best described as parallel parked to buoys at our bow and stern. MCINERNEY moored in a similar fashion behind KIDD. Topside security was greater than ever because of our vulnerable position in the harbor. With the war in full swing, there was a serious concern that the Iraqi military might try to use guerrillas and cripple or sink an American warship in the canal thus effectively forcing all other ships coming from the Atlantic fleet to transit around the Southern tip of Africa in order to get to the Persian Gulf. While moored at Port Said, we received a large Suez Canal Light which was hung from our bow. The idea was that this light would illuminate the mile markers along the shores of the canal. But to see the thing in use, one could only wonder if all it was really designed for was to create another multi-thousand dollar fee that each ship would have to pay before transiting the canal. KIDD ' s own signal lights did a much better job. The ship got underway shortly after midnight as a part of a convoy of U Tm m n ' ' ' •- » . 1... ( W.lK 11.11 M .11 I ' orl S.il.l ,.1111, .ll,.ll M, 1,. Mil iIh n vv,.us Ali.A, 1, h , 1,11,, 11 mk;.;, s.nlhii.il s.iiK .iiMi.ni; ill, ships .in, I ,1 in ll (.H ' .il iilll, I I .ik, , .isliiii; III, ,il,l .111,1 ll luu I,,,M- iii;lil A iii.is.iii, .11 III, II., nil, Ml I, inin.il ,,l Ih, ,,iii.il III I ' ,, II S.ii,l Kii;lil S luiii 11. ins 1 111 I ' K 1 llu i.m.il l..«.ii,l ih, (.1, .11 Uill, 1 mil, li.iiil J .u 1 .ik, iiii; . 1m, So liii; llhc II 1 l,,|, ,S,,M,, .lllsll III l ' ..ll S.11,1 l-.ii ll lll I,,| Sl,l, •A 111, 1 SI (. ' J 11,., k ,ll,,ks,.lll 111, , lll|,s .111. 1 III 111. (.1,. 11 Hill, 1 1 .ik, l ' „i iii|,lii.in -.Is 1 1..III i..;li 1 1 ,1 111 1 ( , isli ,, k h, 1.4111, 1 lui S., mil, 111

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riic icniaiiKlci ol llic Soulliljound ir.msil a uitlioul iiu idcnl .iiul m ihc latt ' afU ' inoon ihc slup passed h ilu- cit of Port Sue . [Iif Sniiihcin icmii- nal of die (anal. The mntiasl Ixlwtcn llic two hanks ol ilic (.iiial was nowhere else as |)i ( hkhuu t-d as u was al Port Sue . On the 1- astern hank was the Sinai Peiiiiisuhi. Barren exiept lor the numerous Ijiiriii-d out hulks ot tanks and tiuiks iloitiii ' the sand. On the Western hiUik was the (ii of F ' oit Sue , kish. green, .uid otnioush pros- pering. Clearh Port .Sue liad mended tile wounds of the wai with Israel. I ' h..i.ih% rTllillil