Roanoke (CL 145) - Naval Cruise Book

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ITINERARY Depart LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA 3 sepfembef, I957 PEARL HARBOR, T. H. 7-8 Sepfember SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA I8-24 Sepfember SASEBO, JAPAN 5-I7 OCIober KOBE, JAPAN 26 OCIober-2 November YOKOSUKA, JAPAN 8-I5 November NAGASAKI, JAPAN 23-25 November BUCKNER BAY, OKINAWA 29 November-3 December SUBIC BAY, P. I. 30-3I December HONG KONG, B. C. C. 2-8 J onuo ry, 7958 SASEBO, JAPAN II-I5 Jonuory NAGOYA, JAPAN 23-26 Jcmuory INCHON, KOREA 3-6 February YOKOSUKA, JAPAN IO-23 February Qfenfofiveb SUBIC BAY, P. I. 7-8 March Qfenfofiveb Arrive LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA 24 March, 1958 I Q

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THTS BOOK TS DEDICATED TO THOSE VVHO MADE HER THE BEST 99 . , . ...TO MEN OE THE ROANOKE

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OUR HIP Once in a while in the Navy a fortuitous series of Circumstances permits the gathering in one ship of a group of outstanding men who fit the ship: together. the ship and its men work with the smoothness and efficiency of a fine watch. The equally-shared dangers and hardships as well as the pleasures of life at sea weld a bond between them, a bond so strong that one cannot think of the men and the ship apart, the ship and her company are one. This welding can only rarely happen: when it does the men achieve one of life's greatest and most singular rewards: the pride and satisfaction of doing men's work easily and well and receiving commensurate credit. On these rare ships aecomplislunent of exacting tasks is facileg courage is commonplace, efficiency is routine. Such a ship is the ROANOKE. Like her sister cruisers, the ROANOKE is named for a city. The city of ROANOKE was previously so honored twice, a steam frigate in civil war times and a converted steamship during Nvorld Nvar l both carried the name. The present ROANOKE with her sister ship, the WORCESTER. are the world's largest and most powerful light cruisers. Displacing over lT.000 tons. this 680-foot ship has the most modern of armaments and engineering plants. Her sixty oflieers and thousand men are served with modern equipment from air-conditioned living compartments to pneumatic tubes for rapid eommunit-ations. ller turho-generators eould supply a city of over 4-0,000 persons with all light and power retpiirements. and her engines develop the power of over sixty- eight large locomotives, propelling the ROANOKE through the water at a speed of over 35 miles per hour. Her evaporators make enough water to supply a million persons with a glass of water each day. Launched in Camden, New jersey in june. ll!-IT. the ship was commissioned in April of 1949 and served in the Atlantic' l leet on the East fioast uf' the llnited States. the XVest Coast of Europe, and in the Mediterranean Sea. ln 1055 she was transferred fo the Paeilie lfleet and has served with distinction in Pacific Waters since that time. This eruise is the set-ond for this ship in the Far East. ln the current cruise. the ROANOKE has steamed about 40.000 miles: she has safely endured the perils of raging seas, brutal winds. hazardous shoals. and rapid maneuvers in elose proximity to other ships. Her men have withstood exhausting heat and hitter eold. net elothes. long watehes. unending toil. cramped quarters, minimum shore leave. and nights made sleepless hy the violent tossing of the ship. A fighting ship. the ROANOKE has earned a reeord of ext-ellenee among other eraek fighting ships. ln the short eight years of her life she has three times plaeed ser-ond in the Rattle Eflieieney Competition among many other cruisers of both fleets. Twice she has won first honors including in the past year. ln the past year she not only won the coveted meathall . the red pennant with the superimposed black hallj for first place, but also won the Red for Engineering. the flreen E for Operations. and 25 Gunnery EMS, 11 record believed to be without peer in the history of the Rattle Eflieieney Competition. Every six-inch gun turret, every three-inch gun mount. and seven of the nine eligible gun directors earned these diflieult-to-obtain awards. In every assignment her performance has reflected the keen edge of her fighting crew. The ROANOKE will live always in our memories: a handsome. proud, powerful Amazon, with tremendous, delicately-controlled power. terrible in the destruction which is hers to unleash against her country's enemies. Her intelligence and sensitivity are the professional skill. the endurance, and the courage of her crew who guide her carefully in the incessant battles with the elements and prepare her continually for every future emergency. May she ever be as fortunate in the ship's company as she is now. o v n - 1 0 u u n e u s .-4 .-. .-1 .4 ... ,Q v-4 .-- 0-Q .-Q .4 we - Q n n 4 a n 1 - n 1 n On this cruise and on this ship it was not that the ROANOKE was the only ship in the fleet. It was just that she was the best. Of course, this could be disputed by a good many sailors on ships of all kinds from minute minesweeps to capacious carriers. But the ROANOKE! sailors could dismiss these disputes with 7 3 lofty disdain, for they knew. Her crew needed no brightly painted UE' s to remind them of a fact well-known. Those of us who served on her will look back many times in the years to come and say with pride, My ship was the ROANOKE.