Long Beach (CGN 9) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 11 text:

, gg. XI V N , ..' x X f f ,i 'llll QW Jlllffflfm. . EXECUTIVE OFFICER con. ROBERTZS. sivimi, USN Commander Robert S. Smith was born in Gary, Indiana, on August 4, 1925. He attended the United States Naval Academy and was commissioned an Ensign in June 1946, Commander' Smith's first tour of duty was aboard the USS BLUE CDD-7445 where he served as Torpedo Officer. In 1947 he went to the staff of Escort Division One and in 1948 he reported aboard the USS PERKINS CDDR-8773 with duties in Communications, Gunnery and Engineering. In 1950 he attended the Navy Special Weapons Unit in Albuquerque, N, M. as a student and served two years as that unit's Nuclear Officer in the USS FRANKLIN D, ROOSEVELT CCVA-429 and the USS ORISKANY CCVA-335. Commander Smith took command ofthe USS LUZERNE COUNTY CLST-9023 in October 1953 and after two years as Commanding Officer was made Flag Lieutenant on the staff of the Commander Amphibious Force Pacific. From June 1956 through May 1959 the LONG BEACH Executive Officer was at the Navy Nuclear Power Unit, Idaho Falls, Idaho, serving as a student, power plant operator, and unit Executive Officer during that time. He then reported aboard the nuclear carrier ENTERPRISE CCVACNJ65J for a four year tour as Chief Engineer. In 1964 Commander Smith got his own command again, li 3 2 i l fl 's ,E V 2 Eli I z Q 5, it 5 i i. 6 ka 1 Z S, ,I lg' if ti 'a ,. all 3 ls I -e 1 I i 1, fl gl 5 I r 597 I i i this time the USS HOLDER CDD-8193. He stayed with the HOLDER until being assigned to theSecretaryofthe Navy's Personnel Retention Task Force, Washington, D. C., in August 1965. Commander Smith reported aboard as LONG BEACH's Executive Officer April 16, 1966. Duties of the Executive Officer include the co- ordination of all administrative functions of the ship, such as the Personnel Office, Captain' Office and Public Affairs Office. Commander Smith also headedX CExecutiveJ Division whose members man the Post Office, Photo Lab, Print Shop, Chaplain's Office, Ship's Entertainment System, Personnel Office, Captain's Office and Public Affairs Office. Commander and Mrs. CRamonaJ Smith have four daughters. The LONG BEACH Executive Officer's decorations include the Korean Unit Citation and the Seventh Order of Yun Hui Ccloud and bannerj. His medals include the Korean Service Medal with two stars, the United Nations Service Medal, the China Service Medal, the National Defense Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal CCubaJ, and Navy Expeditionary Medal CCubaJ. Commander Smith was relieved by Commander J,D, Watkins in April.

Page 10 text:

W-'flllllflliv '2x5JQ5'. :1'iV'1' in mir-R S' -' COMMANDING OFFICER CAPT. K. C. QALLACE, USN On August 23, 1966, Captain Kenneth C.Wallace, USN, relieved Captain Frank H. Price of command of the LONG BEACH, thereby becoming the third skipper ofthe 721-foot cruiser. Captain Wallace was born in New London,Connecticut on July 30, 1920 to Captain and Mrs. K.R.R. Wallace. He attended Coronado High School in Coronado, California, and entered the United States Naval Academ i y n 1939. Graduated and commissioned as Ensign on June 19, 1942. He subsequently advanced to the rank of Captain on July 1, 1962. Upon graduation from the Academy, he reported aboard USS PERRY CDMS-173 where he served as Engineer Officer, 1st Lieutenant, Communications Officer and Gunnery Officer. ln September 1944, he became Gunnery Officer and later Executive Officer aboard USSWADLEIGH CDD-6893 where he remained for the duration of WW ll, until May 1946. During the war Captain Wallace participated in nine campaigns. Captain Wallace attended the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School at Annapolis, Maryland for one year as an ordnance postgraduate student before attending M.l.T. in July of 1950. He graduated with a Master of Science Degree from M.l.T. in Electrical Engineering CFire Controlj in July 1952 and reported aboard USS MACON CCA-1321 for a 13-month tour as Gunnery Officer. ln August 1952 he assumed command USS GEORGE CDE-6973 for the duration 222352 :ridge ti Q, at is 2 gil 21:65 3 , l ,ef 324. 1 if if 1 si 5,3 4 , Zigi , i fi fvfi 1' Z f fi QQ 2. 8 of the Korean War. Captain Wallace was orderedtothe U.S, Naval Ordnance Test Station, China Lake, California as Assistant Ex- perimental Officer in September 1955.His nextassignment was as a student at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College for a period of one year, which was followed by a four month tour under instruction in the Polaris Weapon System to the Naval Inspector of Ordnance, Sunnyvale, California. ln July 1964, Captain Wallace reported aboard USS OBSERVATION ISLAND as Commanding Officer and was relieved in January 1965 to commence a one year course of instruction in Nuclear Power. He attended the Navy Nuclear Power School at Vallejo, California for six months followed by six months at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit at ldaho Falls, ldaho. Captain Wallace has the American Defense Service Medal, American Theater-WW ll Medal, World War ll Victory Medal, China Service Medal, Navy Occupafi0I'l Service Medal, Korean Theater Service Medal, united Nations Medal and others. Captain Wallace is married to the former MiSS Katherine Carroll of Washington, D.C. Mrs. W9-H9-09 served with the National Red Cross in New Guinea during l1NVCH'kTh9y have foursons:Kenneth, Jr., Robert, Th0maS, n o n.

Page 12 text:

,,,,fff f l EXECUTIVE OFFICER CDR. J. D. WATKINS, USN Commander James D. Watkins, USN, former Com- manding Officer of the nuclear powered attack-type submarine SNOOK CSSN-5925 is currently serving as Executive Officer of the world's first nuclear powered cruiser, LONG BEACH. Commander Watkins was Commanding Officer of SNOOK when, in 1965 and 66, she became the first nuclear submarine to visit the Republic of Korea and Yokosuka, Japan. His service on SNOOK won Commander Watkins the Legion of Merit award and the Navy Com- mendation medal and also earned the Navy Unit Com- mendation for the ship during a 1965 deployment to the Western Pacific. The LONG BEACH Executive Officer, born in Alhambra, California, claims Pasadena, California as his home of record. He attended the University of California, at Berkeley, for one year before entering the Naval Academy in 1945. He was commissioned an Ensign in the Academy class of 1949 and reported aboard the destroyer FECHTELER CDD-8703 for his tour of duty. In January of 1951, Commander Watkins entered the U.S. Naval Submarine School at New London, Conn., and in July of the same year reported aboard the submarine VOLADOR CSS-4901 where he served until 1953. Commander Watkins then joined the staff of the Commander, Submarine Division 52, in November 1953, where he served as Division Engineer until 1955. From 1955-58 Commander Watkins attended the Navy ' ifxefa iam? 12244 if fc gf, .g .1 ,M mm Post Graduate School, lVIonterey, Calif., as a student in lvlechanical Engineering, Nuclear Power.Having completed work for his lVlaster Of Science degree in this field, Commander Watkins completed an additional six months of study at the Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tenn. Then in September 1958 he reported aboard the submarine BARBERO CSSG- 3175 for duty as Executive Officer. Commander Watkins was next selected for duty in the Navy's Nuclear Power Training Unit, Schenectady, N.Y., followed by one month at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, Pittsburgh, Pa. Commander Watkins then reported aboard SNOOK for the first time in October 1960 as Executive Officer and a member of SNOOK's initial commissioning crew. Following this tour of duty, he served in the Bureau of Ships, Washington, from lVIarch 1962 to September 1964 as assistant to the lvlanager, Naval Reactors, AEC. H6 then returned to SNOOK as Commanding Officer, the post he held until September 1966. He assumed the duties of LONG BEACH Executive Officer in April 1967. . Commander Watkins' medals inctuded: World War ll Victory lvledal, China Service lvledal, Navy Occupational Service Medal QAsiaJ, Korean Service Nledal, United Nations lvledal, and Vietnam Service Ivledal. Commander and lVlrs. Watkins, the former Sheila J0 'VICKIHHGY of Coronado, Calif., and! their six children currently reside in Long Beach, Calif. ,..J