Long Beach (CGN 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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Q . .Er RW 32 , ,K I , I?W 4 lg HQ in I if I I , , ful L 14 FT A Z V937 Qin Is ' rig? if Q if V. an 5 I A J CH me Pa ll Q ' in 'Q Rear Admiral I . Victor Smith, USN, was born in Seattle, Washing- ton, on 24 May 1912, the son of General C USMC Q and Mrs. Holland M. Smith. He attended the United States Naval Academy and was commissioned an Ensign in May 1934. His prewar duties found him aboard the battleship OKLAHOMA, the cruiser HONOLULU, and the destroyers PERRY and CROSBY. In Iune 1940 Admiral Smith was ordered to the Post Graduate School at Annapolis, Maryland, and study there was followed by staff duty with Commander Service Force, Atlantic. ' From stayjf duty, Admiral Smith was ordered to the destroyer SH UBRICK as Executive Officer and later assumed command. He subsequently served one year as Aide to Fleet Admiral Leahy, then Chief of Staff to the President. Admiral Smith has also commanded the cruiser NEWPORT NEWS, the attach transport ROCKBRIDGE, and the destroyer BRUSH. He commanded Destroyer Division 112 operat- ing in Korean waters, and served on the staffs of Commander FIRST Fleet and Commander SEVENTH Fleet during the Korean conflict. In addition, Admiral Smith has served at the United States Naval Proving Ground at Dahlgren, Virginia, and the United States Naval Academy, and has attended the National War College in Washington, D. C. Selected for flag rank in july 1961, he was promoted to Rear Admiral in Iuly 1962. He served in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations prior to assuming command of Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla Eight in July 1963. I Admiral Smith is married to the former Marion Zalesky of La I olla, California. They have two children. - COMCRUDESFLOT EIGHT

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The worldis yirst combatant nuclear powered surface ship, U.S.S. LONG BEACH C CGf N Q9 j, left Norfolk, Virginia, for her first Mediter- ranean tour of duty on 6 August 1963. On this report of the ship's activities, it seems fitting that some of her history should be recounted. The keel for LONG BEACH was laid on 2 December 1957 in the Fore River ,Shipyard of the Bethlehem Steel Company,sQuincy, Mass- achusetts. The ship was named for the city of Long Beach, California, after spirited competition among civic groups from many of the coun- try's cities. It is not, however, the first Navy ship to bear the name. The first LONG BEACH was a non-combatant cargo ship which served until 1921. The second was a World War II frigate which was even- tually loaned to the government of Japan. She now bears the name SH I1 . LONG BEACH was launched on 14 Iuly 1959, and on the morn- ing of 5 Iuly 1961 stood to sea for the first time on nuclear power. She was commissioned on 9 September 1961. Since commissioning, LONG BEACH has undergone many periods of severe and exhausting tests. In December of 1961 she departed the continental United States for missile hring tests and good will calls to foreign ports. It was on this trip that she crossed the Atlantic for the first time, and made calls upon Bremerhaven, Germany, and Le Havre, France. In LONG BEACH 's short history, she has called upon the following ports: Guantanamo Naval Base, Cuba, San Iuan, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, Bermuda and M ayport, Flor- ida. H er home port is Norfolk, Virginia. In April 1962 LONG BEACH entered Philadelphia Naval'Ship- yard for an eleven month Post Delivery Availability. Following the yard period, she resumed testing and underwent refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. LONG BEACH has been fitted with a deadly array of weapons. Forward, she has two dual TEBBIEB missile launchers. TEBBIEB is a short-range surface-to-air guided missile, effective against aircraft exceeding the speed of sound at ranges in excess of ten miles. Amid- ships, LONG BEACH has an anti-submarine rocket launcher, ASBOC, which can attack underwater targets hiding in the deep and moving at high speeds. Two single 5D mounts are also installed amidships. Aft, she has a dual T ALOS missile launcher. TALOS is a long-range guided missile effective against both airborne and surface targets far from the ship. Not only can LONG BEACH fulfill the traditional tasks of a cruiser, that is, destroy enemy ships and shore installations and defend against aircraft, but she can, in addition, remain at sea for an almost unlimited period of time without the need for refueling. She is a versa- tile ship, built to deal effectively with the hostile challenges of surface, air-borne and underwater targets. ' Briefly, that is her history, the mission she has been delegated, and the tools with which she is to meet her many and diversified objectives. What follows is an account of our deployment, the second Atlantic crossing for the ship, and the first operation for LONG BEACH as a member of the SIXTH Fleet. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed participating in it. - Bon Voyage

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COMMANDING OFFICER Q l 3 .ll-..T..' '-1.--1 -... -bu ,L, -1 .ihgsg 'i?1-5 n, I 5 5 'L .v 'G K 4 N g, ,,,. . Q,X 'g .4- ..g3-f ' I 5,5 x 1 - 1 17'--. BZ fy - . Captain Eugene P. Wilkinson, USN, was born in Long Beach, California, on 10 August 1918, the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Dennis W. Wilkinson. In 1988 he graduated from San Diego State College and subsequently instructed there in chemistry and mathematics. He was commissioned an Ensign in December 1940, and reported to the heavy cruiser LOUISVILLE for his first tour of duty. After a year on board LOUISVILLE, Captain Wilkinson entered the United States Naval Submarine School in New London, Connecticut, grad- uating in March 1942. During World War II, he participated in eight submarine war patrols, earning the Silver Star and the Navy Unit Commendation Medal while attached to the submarine DARTER. Captain Wilkinson has had duty as Executive Officer of three submarines: MENHADEN, RATON and CUSK, the latter of which was the first submarine to fire guided missiles. He has commanded four submarines: VOLADOR, SEA ROBIN, WAH OO and the Navy,s first nuclear powered submarine, NAUTILUS. For his performance as the first Commanding Officer of NAU- TILUS, Captain Wilkinson was awarded the Legion of Merit. After attending the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, he became Commander Submarine Division 102 in 1958, before receiv- ing orders as Prospective Commanding Officer of LONG BEACH. Captain Wilkinson is married to the former Ianice Thuli of San Diego, California. They have four children. . K 1 QF ' Z X W .2 ? X ws W, . if R ' it 3, . 2 fp. , , I, .9 w lf ggfib e A