Oriskany (CV 34) - Naval Cruise Book

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St.YMark's and the Staircase of the Giants are seen from the compound of Right-A salesman exhibits in- laid Venetian glassware. Lower left-That blob of glass will soon be an item of beauty. Lower right-While the master molds a costly centerpiece, ap- prentice boys huff and puff to cool the rubbery glass. the Doge's Palace. ---- 'fwi,.fav Milli lsr fi -- - fi,m'x'?imuecl netian power, the whole city had be- come a museum and a resort. The beaches on the Lido, across the la- goon, attracted tourists from all over the world. Venice welcomed the American sailors hospitably. Husky gondoliers fished out the sailor who fell into the canal. A baker, making rolls for morning, gave him a change of clothes and a chance to clry off near the ovens. 2 pi if r ii fiflr Z 4 X 5f'ff f5'.Q'?a f 91s7+w.,Vxs5L

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Shilded canals and graceful Sohdolas make Venice a city is K s On the three-day tour, every Oriskany sailor saw the Basilica of San Marco, the outside of which seemed oriental and mosque-like. Inside, the mosaic floor was uneven and wavy as if it were laid on water instead of mud. Palaces built by merchant princes of the XVI and XVII centuries stood up from the wateris edge on the Grand Canal. The Palazzo Crassi, visitors were told, had recently undergone renovation. Its marble floors and gilded ceilings awed the Yenetians themselves. They felt civilization had declined in the last few hundred years be- cause new buildings in the city and even in America displayed no such Iavishness. But historians noted that actually it was Venice that had declined in commercial power and private wealth and that tastes in architecture had changed from ostentation to more subtle show of power. Some of the old places, like the Ducal Palace and the Danieli, had become museums and hotels. With the decline of Ve- f-7. 0 1 rm T j Ill of romance.

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and of Europe . . . GIBRALTKRA IBRALTAR didn't look like the drawings in adver- tisements for the Prudential lnsurance Company. 'als that the Rock?,' sailors repeated skeptically when the Oriskany steamed into its last port of the Mediterranean cruise late in September, 1951. The Rock shot up high enough for a reputedly im- pregnable fortress, with big guns pointing over sea and hay. The top was hidden by clouds several days. When the overcast cleared, signal stations and radio towers and other buildings stood tiny and gray against blue sky over the long uneven spine of the Rock. riiiyir A f ' At the foot of . p the slope, barracks n 14, mygx ' and houses clung to the west and south facing the afternoon sun. On the eastern shore, only one village found space in front of cliffs to provide a beach. To the north, a flat isthmus con- necting to Spain served as an air- port. lt was from Spain itself that the Rock looked as it did for Prudential. But few Oriskany sailors man- aged to pass the border. ln the town of Gibraltar, American Navy Officers and men crowded Main Street, with its bazaars and bars. The Sight of policemen in black helmets reminded visitors that the British Empire held title to the colony, con- firmed by several centuries of successful defense. Because there were no duties on imports, manufac- lured goods from all over Europe and Asia were priced almost as low as in the country of origin. Oriskany Sailors bought English razors and woolens, French per- Tlli lrlflsll ruled the Rock bu! the eager suilbfi Gnd MU l 95 wanted only liberty on terra llrma. fumes and silks, Spanish lace, ltalian leather, Indian brasses, Scotch whiskies-on a chance, and American sardines for the long voyage home. Off Main Street, lanes zigzagged up the slope, grudg- ingly giving a few square feet to houses for military per- sonnel and some civilians of Spanish and ltalian de- scent. The sharp angle, however, allowed almost every- one to view sunsets from windows looking over rooftops across the street. Sunsets over Spain shone red and gold, purple and green and blue. At Europa Point, southernmost tip of Gibraltar, a lighthouse sent out beams that could be seen in Africa, 14 miles away. Like every other structure, even this tower seemed built for permanence and defense.