Latimer (APA 152) - Naval Cruise Book

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ship. Cloudy skies and cool temperatures greeted the LATIMER as it moored to the dock in Mers-el-Kabir, Africa, a small community located some five miles west of Oran. The date of arrival: I Ucto- ber 1954. For liberty, most sailors journeyed into Oran which offered many interesting sights: impressive mosques, veiled women, and tra- ditional or religious customs unlike those found in Western nations. With all its Arabic background, however, Oran possessed a pre- dominate French influence. Smart shops, modern restaurants, and beautiful women caught the scrutiny of all liberty hounds M. Yet visits to Oran usually exasperated even moderate temperaments, for the ever-present kids hounded every man in uniform for cigarettes or money. Even a tour to the headquarters of the French Foreign Legion at Sidi-bel-Abbes failed to offer complete escape from them. Consequently, some elation accompanied the ship's departure from Mers-el-Kabir on the morning of 7 Uctober 1954.

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