Raleigh (LPD 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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Commanding Officer Vhsvfd Captain Rex B. Fitch Jr U. S. Navy n

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Amphibious Warfare lsn't New The earliest amphibious task force was probably a fleet of dugout canoes and rafts transporting a band of prehistoric marines along a coast to attack an enemy village. A modern amphibious operation, with landings on hostile shores, is launched from the sea by Naval landing craft. Its aim may be to prosecute further combat operations, obtain sites for bases, or deny areas or facilities to the enemy. Modern amphibious planning and training was begun by the Navy and Marine Corps in the early thirties. It paid off in an efficient amphibious force in World War ll. In fact, every major drive made by the U. S. forces in the war was started with an amphibious assault, beginning with the invasion of North Africa in 1942 and ending with Okinawa in 1945. By the end of the war, America had the most powerful amphibious warfare capability in the world. She has never lost this lead. Modern amphibious operations are quite different from their historical predecessors. First of all, Naval Forces in a modern am hibious o eration have an important command role Gunfire from Navy ships and carrier aircraft sub- D P - stantially reduce enemy defenses before the first troops ever land. Secondly, troops engaged in modern amphibious operations are highly trained for their role. Marines of the Fleet Marine Force are not merely soldiers transported to their battleground by ship. They are as much at home on board Navy ships as ashore. They know how to fight using gun and missile power from Navy ships and air power from carrier aircraft to help them take their objectives. alezfgb History of Ships named RALEIGH The first RALEIGH was one of the original 13 frigates author- ized by the new Continental Congress in1775. The ship was launched on 21 May 1776. RALEIGH participated in many battles in in 1777 captured the British ship NANCY The second RALEIGH was designated PROTECTED CRUISER NUMBER EIGHT, and commissioned on 17 April 1894. This ship took an active part in the Spanish American War as part of Admiral Dewey's forces in the Phillippine Island Campaign. The ship again saw action as a patrol ship with the Atlantic Fleet during World War I. The name RALEIGH emerged again as a light cruiser, commissioned on 6 February 1924. Designated QCL-71 this ship served gallantly during the Second World War receiving three battle stars. I -CI 'P S' SSL' , - YPD-I

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Captain Rex B. Fitch, Jr. was born in Washington, DC and raised in Fayette- ville, New York. He attended the University of Notre Dame on an NROTC scholarship, graduated, and was commissioned as an Ensign in June of 1985. Captain Fitch's initial assignment was onboard USS MARIAS QAO-575 as Nav- igator. He then attended Destroyer School in Newport, Rhode Island. After his department head tour as Engineer in USS PHILIP CDD-4987 and USS FLETCHER QDD-4455 which included a WESTPAC deployment, he was as- signed to the United States Naval Academy as a Seamanship and Tactics ln- structor in the Professional Development Department. During his tour at the Naval Academy, Captain Fitch obtained his Master's degree in Systems Management at George Washington University. Later, while assigned to the Staff of Commander Destroyer Squadron THIRTY-TWO, he made a Northern European deployment including Baltic Operations, and a Mediterranean deployment during the Mid-East War of 1973. Captain Fitch then served as Hydrofoil Program Officer at the David Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center in Carderock, Maryland. After attending the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia, he assumed du- ties as Executive Officer of USS HERMITAGE QLSD-341 in April of 1978. Cap- tain Fitch then served as Operations Officer on the Staff of Commander Am- phibious Group TWO and then as Combat Operations Training Officer for Commander Fleet Training Group, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He commanded USS PENSACOLA QLSD-385 from January 1984 to April 1986. Captain Fitch's most recent assignment was Chief Staff Officer of Commander Amphibious Squadron FOUR. He is married to the former Lynette Winemiller of Bath, Ohio. They have three children: Lynette, a senior at James Madison University, Dawn, a 1988 graduate of Virginia Techg and Rex Trip, a sophomore at the University of Virginia.