Latimer (APA 152) - Naval Cruise Book

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M! Q7 R X N lluring are LA'IiIMER's KW N visit, ships tourists tra- wl K T R N veled to such places as X X' Venice, cultural Milan , M' W and beautiful Garmisch, l by A ' the latter in Germany. F' xg K 13: 4 R ln venice, LATIMER- l xdlj ITES encountered the LJ S I X famed gondolas which ' ' glided quietly through calm canals amid spark- Xix N ling blue waters. Byzan- ik V tine and Renaissance pa- ,.......--- laces offered challenges to shutterbugs as did the wide Piazza San Marco and Doge's Palace. Gateway to the beautiful Italian lake re- gion, Milan appealed to the epicureans of the LATIMER. Other than its great cathe- dral, a massive masterpiece of Gothic art in white marble, Leonardo da Vinci's mag- nificent fresco, ,' The Last Supper , impressed observers as outstanding among the city's many incomparable art treasures. Traces of snow fell on 3 January 1955 as the LATIMER wended its way seaward. The next five days found the ship operating between Italy and Spain, just south of France. Keeping the LATIMER in fighting condition G G G G remains the primary job of the damage con- trolmen in R Division. They are the spe- cialists in the theory, techniques, skills and equipment of fire fighting, chemical warfare, carpentry, painting and general damage con- trol. Among other duties, the men of R division repair and maintain the woodwork aboard ship, including that of the small boats. In addition, they prepare shoring, braces and other jury rigs used in damage control. V.

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Q, Q, qpxiijgw A re. ,. f , ,B rpg sf, C ' 'faigsi .N 4' Al fb i ' 4 C lil. C ' li., B inf Q? i LE A A to lt'-'J i1l.S if P i 1. 5 On the morning of 8 January 1955, the LATIMER steamed into the largest har- bor on Spain's Mediterranean Coast. It Med'7 moored to the Curra breakwater, located about a half mile opposite the city of Cartagena. Four main hills dominated the seaward side of the bay, while mountains hemmed the city in on the south and to the south- west and southeast. Units of the Spanish fleet occupied mooring locations alongside ships of the Sixth Fleet, and the country's second largest naval base sat along the waterfront there. Cartagena possessed little of touristic inter- est. Only ruins of ancient fortresses re- mained. However, the Spanish Naval Base there displayed a replica of Columbus' Hagship, Santa Maria , on which he crossed the Atlantic in his discovery of America in 14192. The Terraza Restaurant in the Hotel Me- diterraneo served delicious food, including steak and eggs . A complete meal cost approximately 50 pesetas, which was quite reasonable compared to American prices. Along Calle de Mayor, several cafes served drinks similar to those found most any- where. Only the Cafe Grande offered dancing facilities in the city, entrance to the dance iloor was gained by special invitation.