Randolph (CVS 15) - Naval Cruise Book

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The coming of the space age has brought a host of new responsibilities to .Navymen at sea as well as in the air. Randolph was assigned the role ofpri- marjz recovery ship for two of ourastro- nauts - 'Gus' Grissom on his sub-orbit- al flight in 1961 andfohn Glenn on his three-orbit journey the following Febru- ary. Although Glenn is capsule was first picked up by a destroyen Amerieais space hero was quickbzflown to CV-I5 for a hearty meal and a de-briefing. secutive E , plus the Admiral Flately Aviation Safety Award. A shipyard overhaul period beginning in October saw another innovation for an aircraft carrier - the installation of a sonar system.. Combat Information Center QCICQ also received more advanced equipment, as did the Communi- cations Department, and the vessel changed her configuration somewhat with a new center-line bow anchor - giving her a 'cWalt Disney sing- ing whalen look. On April 1, 1961 the city of Portsmouth, Vir- ginia, took advantage of another colorful Ranclolbh open house, during which the fam- ilies of the men who had worked aboard on the renovation were granted the opportunity for a first-hand look at the results. Shortly thereafter the carrier sailed for exten- sive operations in the Caribbean, broken only briefly by a liberty stop in Kingston, Jamaica. Another Midshipman Cruise was conducted that summer, but Randolbh interrupted the training routine long enough to carve another significant notch in her long history. The assignment- recovery ship for astronaut Virgil Gus Gris- som after he accomplished Ame1ica's second sub-orbital flight. A brief visit to New York City, a return to Norfolk, and then disappointment-no EH this year, although the second straight Aviation Safety Award was garnered. With her astonaut recovery experience, Randolph was a 'cnatural' for the assignment of primary recovery ship in February, 1962 when Lt. Colonel John Glenn made his historic three-orbit flight. Following visits to several Caribbean liberty ports, therefore, she took sta- tion near Grand Turk Island in the Bahamas and awaited tensely for first the blast-off and then for the dangerous re-entry of America's space hero. When Glennls capsule splashed safe- ly into the water near destroyer Noa at 2:43 p.m. E.S.T. on February 20, it capped a four hour and fifty-six minute ride covering about 81,000 miles. After emerging from the capsule on the destroy- er's deck, the astronaut was flown by helicopter to Randolbh whose helos, according to the New York Times, had raced the Noa for the honor of making the pick-up. Following a meal and an extensive debriefing aboard the carrier, Glenn was flown ashore. Upon her return to Norfolk there were more ASW operations on the schedule for Ranclolbh, and then, following a generous in-port leave and up-keep period, the ship loaded aboard stores and set forth on a Mediterranean deploy- ment- the first since 1959. Operating with the U. S. Sixth Fleet, she served as carrier flagship of our anti-submarine forces in the Med. In October came the Cuban missile crisis,', when, for a period of several days war seemed perilously close during the eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over the issue of Soviet offensive missiles in Cuba. Agreement was finally reached, the Russian missiles were re-crated and shipped home, and the United States gave assurance that she would not invade the island. CVS-15 was on station during the brief blockade of Cuba at the height of the crisis, and for a time afterward until the situation returned to normal. The President's broadcast calling off the blockade when the crisis subsided was broadcast over Randohbhis radio station, WRAN. The ship entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 39

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i Libenjz, with its wide variegi Qf sights and pastimes, is always a welcome re- lief afier periods ofgrzielzvzg 0jJerfiiz'0n.s at sea. At left, ship is eonzpaiiy sizes up a p0ssz'fJz'Iz'Qf. Center, freslz f6'Ill'l wilfzoui standing in ifie chow fine. Right, Randolplfs corcliaf 'Open f1o11.s'e.s'f1m.s'f eager zfisilurs - ai home mul Ivllfillflgil ports. , bmw, X pin. 'ig is -1. if Lv 5 Y an Qian' M - 'A..5 ' L1 fi:Q?w... 5xx,:?,......v, M F vga, 2.7417-Y.-Y-,T ..., ..,,Q,,,,.i Vg, ., . , . ,,., - .--..,fe:-v-e-.-1-.F-vgzg?-Af,1....iaf' - - -'- g, If iii i ,7 5472 1 . 'I Q 5,2 3 .ei 1:1 -1 E ? 4 s, 1