Lake Champlain (CG 57) - Naval Cruise Book

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This is a Blue hose. Center right Picture from left to right ENFN Berger, ENFN Van why and ENFN Miranda remove freshwater hose to ship in preparation forgetting underway. PhotcibvENCEnigk l!!•• •MtI . tI•...lUU ?!K|ltU!!l!!!?| |llJ!J, arr.i ,:.w ▼GOODBYEIEMFNJenkinswatchesas shore power is removed knowing that it will be six months before he has to help reinstal 1 it to the ship. PhotobvEMCI. ' Wirulu, II Check f uel a 1 ign- nent.Lt Cook in Central ' ontrol Station prepares he engineering plant for etti ng underway. hotobvEMaSWlCulwell GMG2Goveruiid wife Luana USSN Flee, daughter Baileyand wife Erin BM;iWomaci ,wife Ta ma rra, da ugh ter Imaniandson Justice PHOTOBYFt lNOHE.K LT Hagen locker hoi dsson Peterand wife Amy holds daughter Elizabeth. USSLe OSSNl SSLakeChamplainCruisermenaepartealeavTng ifamitieswhichind SSN Frees newborn to Master Chief Ertzner ' s post teens. 4 THECRUISE

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f iHI r, .- . on and the TAO carryi ng the key, the fi re powei ofour ship was called toalert. The possibility of striking Iraqwith our TomahawkLand Attack Missiles became very real. Day after day, throughout the month ofNovem ber, we were prepared and at the ready to shoot shou Id a stri ke against Iraq be ordered. The order did not come. Breaking the at-sea routine, we enjoyed getting off t he ship in the cleanandprosperouscitiesofDubaiandJebelAliintheUnitedArab Emirates. During December, our VIP visitors included the Deputy Undersecreta ry of Defense, the Ch iefofNa va I Operations and Master Chief PettyOfficeroftheNavy.Theholidayscanbeadifficulttimebut, hundreds of packages, bringing literally a tasteofhome in the form of cookies and fudge, helped us celebrate Christmas in the Gulf. We completed our ' ' Southern Watch ' and headed south through the Indian Ocean, initiating our new shellbacks into the realm of King Neptuneas wecrossed theEquator. Theprom iseofa summer holiday in A ustra Ha was rea I izedand we werefortuna te to visi t both coasts of the LandDown Under . Our first port call to Fremantle and Perth during Australia Day celebrations enabled us to view the ' ' largest fi reworks d isplay in the Sou them Hem isphere . We then sa i led east to the unique city of Sydney with its ' landmaj k Opera House -for many, theh igh I igh t oftheenti re cru ise. Finally, we were going home, stopping only briefly in Hawaii to pick up our Tigers and our soon-to-be new Commanding Officer. During our six month deployment we traveled 32,995.5 miles and visited four different countries as we enforced the policies of our country. Young sailors,juniorofficers,as well as old salts continued the tradition of learning the variousaspectsof what it means to bea Sailor,OfficerorChiefintheUnitedStatesNavy. And so th iscru iseended, as theyalldo, with fathersholding their babies for the first time, tears of joy and tender kisses. Themen were welcomed back from the sea. Saturday, 28 February 1998 WESTPAC ' 97- ' 98 was over. THECKUISE 3

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Sayinggoodbye CALLTODUTY Cruisermen begin six month deployment On September 5, 1997 at 0950 the guided missile cruiser USS LAKE CHAMPLAIN (CG57) took i n a 1 1 1 i nes f rom pier 7 at Naval Station, San Di- ego, California. It was a bright and sunny morn- ing as she set sail for the fifth time to the Western Pacificand Arabian Gulf. The ten month training cycle was complete, work- My steel guitar. EW2 Layton carries hisguitar onboard accompanied by his wife Mardee. Photo by EMCISWlCulwell iGolf ambassador. OSSN Poulton hangs on to his golfclubs while holding the door for OSSA Green. Photo by EMOSWlCulwell ups were done, and the POM period was over. It was time for The CHAMP and her Cruisermen to set sail forWESTPAC ' 97- ' 98. As the USS LAKE CHAMPLAIN an- swered her cal 1 to duty and backed away from the pier, many ere wmembers were re- membering tearful goodbyes. Along with exciting expectations, there were the mixed emotions that come from the reality that they were finally separating from their loved ones for six months. Tvvo way traffic. Crewmembers come and go during the last minutes prior to getting underway. PhntobyEMC(SW)Culwell THE CRUISE 5