Newport News (CA 148) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 8 text:

Q a 5 4 I A 3 1 J 1 4 7 3. '4 , I 3 1 i 5 1 k S X 1, V . 4 , - .,,'.-.,::h- vi, . ,, t 1 F U Y N , ,,,, .,.........n,,...T-,.N. .....,., ,..,f.4..A ...., M ,.,.., .,.,4qf,.,. ,, .ff:,,Y.Q f.,,:1 ff x BMW. f

Page 7 text:

history The keel of the NEWPORT NEWS was laid on November 1, 1945, at the Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company of Newport News, Va. Named after the shipbuilding city, she was commis- sioned on January 29, 1949, and cast down the ways into the James River on March 6 of the same year. After a vigorous two month shake- down cruise to the Caribbean, the NEWPORT NEWS was assigned to Commander Cruiser Atlantic Fleet. Only six months after commissioning, she became Flagship for Admiral W. H. P. Blandy, then Commander-in- Chief U. S. Atlantic Fleet during a two- week reserve cruise to Halifax, N. S. With Commander Second Fleet aboard, the Flagship NEWPORT NEWS crossed the Arctic Circle in No- vember, 1949. Upon completion of the cruise, .the ship's first skipper, Captain Roland Smoot was relieved by Captain James Scott Laidlaw. On January 20, 1950, the NEWPORT NEWS began her first tour of duty in the Mediterranean. The ship served as Fleet Flagship for Vice-Admiral John Jennings Ballentine, Commander Sixth Fleet, for a period of five months during which she visited 15 ports inthe Mediterranean. She was relieved by the USS SALEM in Gibraltar, B.C.C. May 26. During the three month yard period that followed, Captain Edward Nelson Parker relieved Captain Laidlaw as commanding officer. The NEWPORT NEWS sailed from Norfolk to the Caribbean in September and under- went a refresher training course for seven weeks. Upon returning to Norfolk in November, the NEW- PORT NEWS immediately departed for the,Mediterran- ean area for further service with the Sixth Fleet spending Thanksgiving at sea and Christmas in- Naples, Italy. In May 1951 she returned to Norfolk. Following another reserve training cruise in the Norfolk area, the NEWPORT NEWS participated in an operations demonstration exercise for Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall. The subsequent visit to New York for the 4th of July marked the first U.S. port other than Norfolk that the ship had visited. , On August 4, 1951, the NEWPORT NEWS with Captain William Goodwin Cooper in command, de- parted for her first Midshipman cruise with 400 middies aboard. The ship visited Halifax, N. S.: Boston, Mass., and then proceeded to the Caribbean before returning to Norfolk in September. As Flag- ship for Vice-Admiral Felix B. Stump, Commander U.S. Second Fleet, the NEWPORT NEWS became a participant in one of the largest fleet exercises since WWII, known officially as Lantflex 52. After a short yard period the NEWPORT NEWS sailed January 9th for the Mediterranean and her third tour as Sixth Fleet Flagship. One of the high- lights of the 1952 Mediterranean cruise took place when a NEWPORT NEWS entry won grand prize in the Carnival of Flowers Festival at Villefranche, competing against 30 flower laden boats entered by the surrounding villages. The prize winning float was the flowery 9644 motor launch transformed into an Italian Gondola and equipped with eight French beauties. The ship returned to Norfolk on May 8th. After a one-month leave and upkeep period, the heavy cruiser entered Portsmouth Navy Yard for a 90-day yard availability. In September, she departed on a nine-week extensive underway training cruise to the Caribbean. I On 6-January 6, 1953, the NEWPORT NEWS sailed on her fourth Mediterranean cruise relieving the USS COLUMBUS in Algiers. After an extension of three weeks, she arrived- home on June 2nd, crossing the Atlantic in a speedy six days. Completing a 30-day restricted yard availability period in Portsmouth, the NEWPORT NEWS oper- ated in the Norfolk area until August 9 when she departed on a gunnery training exercise in the Caribbean., 4 The ship returned to Norfolk September 26 and prepared for an annual Operational Readiness ln- spection prior to departing for her present cruise January 4, 1954.

Page 9 text:

over 700' long higher than a 12 story building she weighs almost 20,000 tons her powerful engines develop 120,000 h.p. she can make speeds in excess of 30 knots l her guns - nine 8 rapid fire, twelve 5 dual purpose and twenty four 3 ' aa rapid fire give her tremendous striking power she's one ot the newest heavy cruisers in the navy. she's a great ship and we're proud of her