Ponchatoula (AO 148) - Naval Cruise Book

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E .L,,p.'g'ps,-'f'..',:.g, ' 4... if Y.. , . . ,. , . 1 .gs -5. -....,:.,.. :,-K. XJZQ5.,-1 j.::4ji:,Ei5L5?:5fE535Ql5,::.5:.:?.T, Ty, ,ga :L-LL,-W 'W W W' - ,wmv ww 'r ' ' S-v-JM'-azz'-lL::.'rE:!:-...nfl-'lw:m4efm - l i 1 1 HlP'S HISTORY The USS PONCHATOULA CAO-148y was com- missioned the 12th day of January 1956 at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. The second Navy ship to bear the name, PONCHATOULA is named after a river, as are all U.S. Navy oilers. The Ponchatoula River flows through Tongipahoa Parish, Louisiana. Upon completion of acceptance trials and a shake-down cruise, PONCHATOULA sailed for her new homeport, Long Beach, California, via the Panama Canal in March 1956. PONCHATOULA wasted little time in embarking on a long career of service. In September 1956, PONCHATOULA rescued the floundering Panamanian ship SS VENUS off the coast of Japan by taking the ship in tow and clearing oncoming Typhoon Ivy. ln early 1958, PONCHATOULA's homeport was changed to Pearl Harbor. PONCHATOULA has participated in the Quemoy-Matsu Crisis 419585, operated in support of the Operation Dominic nuclear tests in the Christ- mas Islands l1962l, supported Seventh Fleet units in the South China Sea off the coast of Viet Nam and served as a space capsule recovery ship for projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. In November 1965, the ship spent ten days on a goodwill visit to Sydney, Australia where she par- ticipated in Exercise Warrior along with ships of the British, Australian, and New Zealand Navies. PONCHATOULA returned to Pearl Harbor in April 1967 from an eight month deployment to South East Asia where she again engaged in direct support of Seventh Fleet combat operations off the coast of Viet Nam and in the Gulf of Tonkin. The ship set a new Pacific Fleet record by bringing 503 ships alongside and refueling 464 of them. Over 50 million gallons of fuel and many tons of cargo were transfered to com- batant ships operating far from their bases. On her November 1967 to June 1968 deploy- ment, PONCHATOULA established another new record for volume of petroleum products delivered to customer ships, pumping over 74 million gallons of fuel through her replenishment hoses. She then un- derwent a five month, S3 million overhaul. An April visit to Kobe, Japan and EXPO '70 highlighted PONCHATOULA's 1970 deployment. The ship operated out of Sasebo conducting replenishments in the Sea of Japan for nearly half of her seven months in Westpac. ln February 1971, PONCHATOULA served as l l 1 I ' ' - - 4.1 tzlmqv., ,.,.,n!,, , U

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vff- A- 'Jw-.f ffS' : PoNcHA'rouLA CRUISE I 1975 A E, I A. 2 I L I, I. I: fl E, .. THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THE MEN WHO GO TO SEA. ON ANY SHIP, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, AND TO THOSE WHO AWAIT THEIR RETURN. Q 1: B . r Q 9 L. I2 I V I r E

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ll h ll 0 ie it i l i i lol E m oy- iew dll s oi un- i 'll The ling all ol das 's QE.: secondary recovery ship for the Apollo 14 space mis- sion, and, following a two day stop-over in Pago Pago, American Samoa, returned to Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard where she was converted to burn and carry' Navy Distillate fuel. In July 1971, PONCHATOULA departed on another Westpac deployment. After her return to Pearl Harbor, she participated in the recovery of the Apollo 16 moonship during which she carried NASA scientists and equipment for studying the capsules reentry. ln April 1972, she participated in the multi- nation Anti-Submarine Warfare exercise HRIMPAC 72 during which she operated with ships of the Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian Navies. Her 1972-1973 deployment spanned more than seven months. PONCHATOULA supported Seventh Fleet operations during the final months of the Viet Nam war, and during the minesweeping operations that followed. In 1974, PONCHATOULA visited Guam for a six month, 954.5 million overhaul. ln lVlarch 1975, PONCHATOULA participated in another RIMPAC exercise with ships of the Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian Navies. Since her commissioning, PONCHATOULA has proven herself to be reliable and efficient. She has been awarded the Square Knot award for Deck Seamanship for 1973 and 1975, and the Service Force E for Battle Efficiency for 1968, 1973, and 1975. The PONCHATOULA plaque was designed shortly after commissioning the ship. It symbolizes what the ship stands for and the ideals she fosters. The meaning of the various parts of the emblem are as follows: 111 The white chevron is symbolic of the higher concepts to which the ship aspires. l2jl The sky blue fields through which the chevron points upward is symbolic of the heavens which contain the guides of these ideals. Q31 The moon and stars are aids from the heavens to help in safe navigation on each cruise. l4l The symbol found in the UPPER LEFT hand corner is the symbol of the goddess Venus, and com- memorates PONCHATOULA's timely rescue of the Panamanian ship VENUS. As ever, she stands ready to perform even the most demanding operations.