Oriskany (CV 34) - Naval Cruise Book

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lk , PLE 9 cf View of the city from the Oriskuny. O question about it, the Gulf of Naples ranks as the most beautiful harbor in the Mediterranean. The Oriskany sailed in past the magical Isle of Capri and the fashionable island of Ischia toward the cloud-capped peak of Vesuvius. By day, sky and sea were two shades of light blue. The first night, ,Iune 22, the bills behind the city and the shores around the gulf sparkled like a diadem. Still, there's only a grain of truth in the local Chamber of Com- merce's 4'See Napoli and dieli' From the harbor, such an idea was almost believable. Inside the city, Americans preferred life aboard ship. And yet, it was in Naples that U. S. Admiral Forrest P. Sherman, Chief of Naval Operations, died one month after the Oriskany visited the port. Ashore, Oriskany sailors found a beehive of activity. On the main street, Via Roma, almost every officer tried on a Borsalino hat. Self-appointed guides tried to steer innocent Americans toward other merchandise, on which the Helpful Une then made sure he took his cut. Peddlers cried 'cBuy a cameo, Joel, from Fleet Landing clear out to Vesuvius. The best buys, with Widest variety and most as- surance of value, were made in factories, particularly those recom- mended by the Italian tourist agency, CIT. On side streets, the devastation of War and the poverty of defeat appeared clearly in the homes of the people. To them, United States sailors were rich, riding in taxis and carriages for fares of 500 to 1,000 lire. Busses and trolleys cost only 20. Cleanest place in Naples for enlisted personnel was the United Seamenls Service Club, near Fleet Landing. The club provided all orchestra and an unusually good-looking group of Italian hostesses for dancing. Near the end of the Oriskany visit, a CreW's Recep- tion was held aboard to repay their hospitality. Italian painters seemed to make Naples their headquarters. From a simple photograph, they could Work up a surprisingly recogniz- able portrait in oils in a few days. Unself-conscious, the painters often worked aboard ship with sailors looking critically over eaCh brushstroke u could buy flowers from donkey carts climb the lullslde for Cl VI Vesuvius or look over displays In cameo factories and ulwClY9 Naples light hearted Yo - I . s u 'ew of ' ' ' - intl 1 . Q f MQ

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TR I P 0 L I Continued ORE than 100 years ago. lin' .Mncrican sailors were drowned in the lmrbor ol Tripoli. 'l'hcy had just left a United States nnin-oi-war lying offshore. In the rough waters ol the primitixc port, their boat capsized. When the bodies is ere recovered, they were buried with honors on the edge ol the clill' overlooking the blue Mediterranean. Libya was then almost an unfriendly country, sus- picious of Americans who had a few short years before forced an end to the depredations of Barbary pirates. Farther east, other Arabs had traditionally levied toll on camel carayans crossing the desert from India. Kid- naping, ransom and piracy on the open sea had been just as practical. But in 1951 the coasts of North Africa were friendly to the United States. Captain Lyon came ashore to honor, in a formal ceremony, the memory of the bye who had died in 1840. The small American cemetery shone greenly on the sandy cliff. Tops of palm trees rustled above the white walls. A single entrance faced the blue sea. To mark the graves of the sailors, a simple stone and a bronze plaque had been erected close to the entrance. Inside the cool white-and-green cemetery, the Ma- rines stood stiflly at attention. Outside a bugler sounded taps. Captain Lyon laid a wreath upon the tombstone. Three volleys were fired by the guard. Every one pres- ent saluted, facing the graves. Copfoin Lyon and the American Consul, Andrew G. Lynch, stand during taps. ii xygyifhvf 1 iihrfr F- 4 1 -'4 1, I ix, 1 ' 1i' i bak Q ' x-. '- j . .IZ ., X 3 . TV .Q W. y A Q . x, .sf-ag 4 fps ...MX Q I 12. f. t e Q55 t ifihti' 1 . . ' 1 X x'72iffliii A i?q,Qig.r1 x T f .1 2455 , 1 ' 1f.1asi Nat .F 1 L4 Kilo' Q ip . 1 1 .,, .. .- f it in an African cemetery, an impressive ceremony I 2204, 4543 fx,

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city of pleasure. . . ,at M -Af i I , 1. 'ws . - . yr. K YA .,.,, ..x.,, , rw' V T if fi E35 . JL g k. 4 Q g-fr' A, s of .52 . 'e L I 'M' if fffiv' td V - . ,vfiwrzmf .0v :2,3'g,'gf,332 .g,XyI:fiAg1Q,H.- Clouds over Vesuvius never brought wel . I 1 . - . gy , fy-s.,t wif.-afplg Hifti I ' I l K 3,135 - :View weather while the Ornskuny wus In port. 'lf l 8 . i 1 3 Q X .f X, 4 , gy, u't.:ii' X 'i .--..q.1,?..,.,....,..,,,,,,. D yuh, 5 1- . . ,W e5:'L,,,1Q.5- , M., r ff -- .:-an 'a:..x1avax':mvf.aua-Im ' gn MQ ' ' A , of .rf ,L J Q, 1 ,,,' L4 The salesgirls spoke very convincing English. Fountains cndcled sparkle to the big Naples was also headquarters for the Evil Eye. The horses in the streets wore brass studs as charms, a cus- tom since spread even to America, perhaps without the superstition. What's more, poor tippers in restaurants often left with the sign of the horn waving them fare- thee-not-so-well. Despite such drawbacks, Oriskany sailors regretted leaving Naples, not for its harbor or view but for its liveliness and good-looking women. It was only later in photographs that sailors recalled the threatening vol- CHIIO of Vesuvius in the sky nearby. FOV once, the Oriskuny could drop anchor inside the break- Wufel' and small boots make the Fleet Landing in mir1UN':S plazos of Naples.