Long Beach (CGN 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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...THE ODYSSEY Philippine's largest city. Three days later, the LONG BEACH lifted her anchor with regret and set sail for Subic Bay, LONG BEACH remained in Subic for two weeks, with part of that period spent on minor maintenance and upkeep. The crew was anxious to be off when the mooring lines were slipped and LONG BEACH glided out of the harbor and pointed her bow towards the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. S Hong Kong was to be the last port o'call before returning to the Gulf, and promised the most rewarding liberty we had yet encountered. Tours were very popular, but many LONG BEACH men preferred to strike out on their own. The native-supplied liberty boats, called walla-wallas, kept up their frantic scurrying to and from, desperately trying to keep up with the ever increasing numbers of LONG BEACH sailors anxious tohitthe beach. The LONG BEACH was never again to visit Hong Kong, but she made several return trips to Subic Bay. With April came several changes aboard LONG BEACH. Probably the most noticeable was the change of weather. With Spring finally arrived, the weather improved immenseley. We returned to the Gulf to find most of the fog and low temperatures replaced by sun and warmth--sunglass sales picked up at the ship's store and the air conditioning system was checked for possible improvements and renovations. April also saw the Executive Officer, Commander Smith, relievedbyCommanderJ.D.Watkirigs, USN, Com- mander Smith had served as Executive officer since April 1966. 91,5 i Q , ,,..k Y gl. f Wifi mfriii we iki,,,,., g.,yI 72e 74 543 i !.wf'77i-3 fsii,t-if! Masses is as 1.224.652 Probably the most spectacular highlight of the entire WESTPAC cruise was the LONG BEACH's April visit to Australia, After crossing the Equator in mid-April, with the traditional Shell back ceremony still fresh in their memories, LONG BEACH sailors descended upon the beautiful town of Sydney. After seven days liberty in Australia's largest city, LONG BEACH onceagain returned to station. Time spent on station seemed to pass much faster than the days in port. We had so much work to do in the Gulf, that we fell into a rigid routine, rarely broken, which made one day seem exactly like the last. This routine saved us from boredom and restlessness, but didn't eliminate the crew's eager anticipation of our next port call. One pleasant aspect of our time on station bore a direct result on our pocketbooks and purchases. We drew seven months Hazardous Duty pay, which admirably in- creased our paydays and our bank accounts. Tape re- corders were fashionable, as were record players, radios and jewelry, and all were direct result of the wealth offered by duty in the Gulf. And finally came summer, and with it the end of LONG BEACH's first tour of duty in WESTPAC. She had seen thousands of miles of ocean, interspersed with port calls, where her men stopped to look, relax, and enjoy themselves. She had experienced a variety of new sensations, but probably the most 'rewarding of all, was pulling back into her homeport amidst the cheers and cries of her loved ones.

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NARRATIVE... It was a dismal November morning, coldand overcast, with rain pouring as if unleashed for the occasion. At 9:45 the LONG BEACH slipped her mooring lines and pulled away from Pier Echo, LONG BEACH Naval Station for what was to be her first combat tour of duty. Leaving family and friends waving on the pier, the LONG BEACH made her way through the breakwater and began her 12,000 mile trek to the Gulf of Tonkin. Skippered by Captain Kenneth C. Wallace, USN, of Merritt Island, Florida, who had relieved Captain Frank H, Price, USN, of command in late August, LONG BEACH took three and a half days for the first leg of her journey, Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaiian lslands. After a three and ahalfdaylayover in Pearl, allowing the crew their last U.S. liberty for almost eight months, LONG BEACH weighed anchor again for the second leg of the trip. Amidst speculation and scuttlebutt on the part of the crew, the LONG BEACH's destination was announced as White Beach, Okinawa. Anchoring off White Beach, LONG BEACH's liberty boats were kept busy shuttling crew members back and forth during the three day visit. LONG BEACH found diversion in the quaint little towns of Okinawa, bearing such names as Naha, Village One, Two and Three. The final stop before relieving the USS CHICAGO on station in the Gulf was Subic Bay, Philippine lslands. In Subic Long Beach armorers mounted four .50 caliber machine guns on the superstructure. Supplies were taken aboard for the month and a half to come at sea. LONG BEACH was boarded by RearAdmiraI Alexander Goodfellow, Command Cruiser Destroyer FLOTIL LA 4 2 we ifgfzilfi iff? vi emi I , .,,, 3 f M27 f 3,1215 SEVEN and his staff at Subic. RADIVI Goodfellow and his staff were to remain aboard LONG BEACH until January 18 1967. , Relieving RADIVI Goodfellow was RADIVI Nlark Woods, USN, Commander, Cruiser Destroyer FLOTILLA NINE and staff. RADIVI Woods assumed his duties and he and his staff were to remain aboard until the end of LONG BEACH's tour of duty. Relieving the USS KING on station on the last daylof November, 1966 LONG BEACH assumed her duties with enthusiasm. The extensive training prior to deployment was to pay off. . In the very early hours of December 20, 1966, LTOQD Robert Field and Radarman Chief Mike Johnson detected two hostile aircraft on their scopes. The two enemy alr- planes were tracked on a course which would bring them within 30 miles of LONG BEACH. A message was ser1ti0 the carrier KITTY HAWK, and a flight of fighters W6:S sent aloft. With the help of the two LONG BEACH all' controllers, the Navy pilots located their targets and destroyed them. Navy team work had done its' job, and LONG BEACH was an intergral part of that team during her eight months in WESTPAC. After 37 days in the Gulf, and now duly initiated members of the Gulfof Tonkin Yacht Club ,LONG BEACH lvxvlaswrelieved by the USS IVIAI-IAN and she departed for ani a. We had been at sea 40 plus days before the LONG BEACH slid past Bataan and Corregidor and anchored in Mama Bay. Once again the liberty boats were filled t0 overflowing with sailors eager to enjoy the sights of the I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

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CUMCRUDESFLUT 9 RADM. M. W Mark W. Woods, son of Mr. and Mrs. F. Pace Woods, was born on April 28, 1918, in Whitehall, Montana. In 1921, the family returned to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he attended public schools. He spent two and one-half years at the University of Nebraska, where he was president of his chapter of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He was ap- pointed to the U.S, Naval Academy in 1938 and was graduated and commissioned Ensign in December, 1941, with Academy class of 1942. He was selected for pro- motion to Rear Admiral in May, 1966. His first sea duty in World War ll was on board USS NORTH CAROLINA as Signal Officer, where he took part in the Guadacanal operations. In 1943 he became Aide and Flag Lieutenant to Rear Admiral George H. Ford, Commander Landing Craft, South Pacific Force, for the remainder of the Solomon Islands campaigns. He later served as Assistant Operations Officer on the staff of Commander, Amphibious Group FIVE during the assult of Peleliu and Angaur. Three years of post graduate training in Ordnance Engineering resulted in a master's degree in engineering at John Hopkins University, where he was elected to the honorary engineering society, Sigma Xi. He has had tours as Missile Research and Development Project Officer in the Bureau of Ordnance, as Branch Head for Surface to Air Missiles in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, and as Director of the Surface Warfare and Space Division of the Staff of Commander Operations Test . WOODS, USN W5?fS Wa! :WK 7 ' aotd rvlaglfsi SWK iff i?zwfv!Z and Evaluation Force U.S, Navy. During 1963 and 1964 he was the Executive Officer and Deputy Director of-the U.S. Naval Ship Missile Systems Engineering Station, Port Hueneme, California. Prior to assuming command of Cruiser Destroyer FLOTILLA NINE he was Command- ing Officer of the USS CANBERRA CCAG-23. Rear Admiral Woods has been awarded the following medals and decorations: Silver Star, Navy Commendation with Combat V , Navy Unit Citati0I15 American Defense Service Medal with one star, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with seven stars, World War ll Victory Medal, NavyOccupation Service Medal, China Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal with one star, Korean Service Medal with one star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Korean Presidential Unit Citation. Read Admiral Woods is married to the former Marjorie Jane Williams of Quincy, Illinois, and Honolulu, Hawall- Rear Admiral and Mrs. Woods currently reside .In Coronado, California with their four daughters, lVIal'j0l'le, Shauna, Rondi and Pace and their twin boys, Robert and Mark. Rear Admiral Woods, Commander, Cruiser-Destroyel' FLOTILLA NINE, and staff reported on board LONG BEACH January 18, 1967, relieving Rear Admiral A.3- Goodfellow, Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer FLOTILLA SEVEN, and staff, l I i I I Q I I I I I l I I I I I I . I I I I I I l l ,