Lake Champlain (CVS 39) - Naval Cruise Book

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The story of our 1959 Mediterranean cruise began long before the morning of Iune Sth when the Champ kicked up her engines and pulled slowly out of Norfolk. A more appropriate beginning could be the time when the ship was trans- formed into a Anti-Submarine carrier: A veritable floating factory with a pri- mary mission to hunt and kill the silent, unseen enemy that dwells below the surface of the sea, the SUBMARINE. SINGLENESS OF PURPOSE Intelligence shows that there are submarines capable of carrying and launching missiles which can be placed with pinpoint accuracy. These mis- siles, could be rained upon United States cities with a devastating effect. It is no surprise it was recently estimated that 902 of the U. S. Atlantic Fleet's operations are aimed at one goal: to prevent this type of attack. And so we steamed out of Norfolk. To some ofthe crew, it seemed that the job coming up was little more than routine. Head for the Med, hit a few liberty ports, and then steam back to the states. Iust another three months. But during this deployment the Champ was busily engaged in ASW. Our Anti-Submarine Warfare efforts were carried out as a member of a team. A Hunter-Killer team composed of our ship, destroyers, helicopters, fixed-wing air- craft, and a multitude of skilled men - not only from the U. S., but from allied navies as well. This team worked closer than any ball team in the world. It had to! It's prize wasn't a trophy or the title. It was the assurance that world peace was not in question. An assurance which comes from the knowledge that the sea is free of threat from the sleek, silent killerg the SUBMARINE. Our reward was evident!

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During most of those three months in the Med, our electronic gear was con- stantly churning. Some men checked out unidentified blips on radar: others tuned their ears to the eerie ping of sonar. Others just watched and waited. The squadrons shared our effort in the search for the unseen enemy . Round-the-clock operations were familiar to the men who manned the S2F's, helo's and AD5W's which were with us. With radar gear humming, sonar equipment dipping, and eyes trained attentively upon the surface, the Air Group not only joined in the hunt, but was always prepared to deliver the kill, if needed. This book is a brief, pictorial record of the USS LAKE CHAMPl..AlN's Mediterranean Cruise, Iune thru August of 1959. You'll find stories and pictures of the ports we hit, the liberty parties ashore, and the activities of shipboard life. But you will also see SZF 's searching for a snorkel, AD's probing the water's surface, CIC checking out contacts, and men manning our 5 guns. The photos taken while the Champ was at anchor will help us remember the days ashore. The others will remind us of our primary duty in the im- portant job of the Hunter-Killer. The Hu nter Killers