Saint Paul (CA 73) - Naval Cruise Book

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d t lead the fleet in battle if neces ew months SAINT PAUL operated in southern waters, rea y 0 sary. For the next f h nable the Fighting Saint to resume her former schedule. The Laotian situation finally Settled dere enoug to 6 f gf Yokosuka for 102 days. - her homepor The Ship was absent from - SAINT PAUL. She hosted three heads of state, participated in 5 1960 indeed a busy 0119 for H The year of Wlls U.S. Nav ship to fly the 50-star flag and was named as the best two interesting port festivals, became the Jlfsf y 0 ' h' ' the Navy' .. . . . feeding S lp In . . r March when the Saint was participating in Operation Blue Star, ft h f h d of state visit came in U U T 6 Jlrs ea t'on with naval and ground forces of the Republic of China. The ship was 1 'or combined amphibious operat . . a mal ' a to steam to Kaohsiung, Taiwan and embark Generaltsszmo Chiang Kai- detached from the Blue Star operating are bl. f China for an on-the-spot view of Operation Blue Star. shek, President of the R-QPU 'C 0 ' H i NT PAUL was bound for Manila, Republic of the Philippines, where she embarked the On June 16, 1960 SAI S t Dwight D Eisenhower and his party for a cruise that would take the chief execu- President of the United ta es, - ' t' with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. President Eisenhower took advantage of the tive to Taiwan and a mee ing om his hectic Far East tour to relax. While aboard SAINT PAUL he watched special day and a hah' respite fr anti-submarine sonar operations and enjoyed an afternoon of skeet shooting. SAINT PAUL requisitioned good weather and the seas were smooth as glass from Manila to Taiwan. especially for the President In one of her most important port visits since her deployment to the Western Pacific, the Fighting Saint steamed 45 miles up the winding Saigon River to moor in Saigon, Republic of Vietnam, a four day stay, October 24-28, 1960. Highlight of the visit, which was keyed primarily to the celebration of Vietnam's Consti- tution Day, came on October 26 when Ngo Dinh Diem, President of the Republic of Vietnam, boarded the flagship to greet Commander for SEVENTH Fleet. SAINT PAUL visited Nagasaki, Japan-sister city of Saint Paul, Minnesota in April 1960 to participate in the city's annual Port Opening Festival. Flagship sailors and marines joined in all major activities held during the festival period including a masquerade parade through the streets of Nagasaki. In May of 1960 SAINT PAUL joined other U.S. Navy ships tv i help the people of the semi-isolated community of Shimoda,Jf1Pa IN OCTOBER 1960. SAIGON CROWDS TURNE . . . . D celebrate their annual Black Ship festival which commemorateS OUT TO SEE SAINT PAUL DURING VIETNAM'S CONSTITUTION DAY CELEBRATIONS. , the arrival of Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry and his blaClf ships in Japan over 100 years ago. On July 4, 1960, because of the time dyference between Japan and the United States, SAINT PAUL became the first U.S. Navy ship to raise the new 50-star flag in special ceremonies held on the fantail. An award denoting the best in foodpreparation and service was accepted by SAINT PAUL in August, 1960 during the annual convention held by the Executive Stewards and Caterers Association in Cincinnati, Ohio. This award Wd-9 WO fr' C0 'peml0 'ml' all Ships Qf The U.S. Navy. Two representatives of the ship's commissary division attendetlfhe convention to accept a permanent trophy for wf,mf,1g the annual Navy Melnorfal Award Competition. Among the highlights of 1961 was SAINT PA UL,s visit in May to British North Borneo and the Federation of Malaya' The SEVENTH Fleet flagship was in the waters of the Coast of Borneo to Observe U South EGSY A-Via Treaty Erganilation CSEATOD Uftlplllblous lmldlllg exercise and then anchored at Jessleton, British North Borneo. The New tad a chance to see the countrv on - '- . , . SAINT PA UL anchored at Port Sxlleiiilllcji tEZl1'Z'ra?lb'l1dofcllhCTtS and spoiling evllntsl ' l Kuala Lumpur-on May 8, 1961 for an enjoyable four day visit The I 'a aim-Tthe por, Cm, for me Mahalwhn Capita if evple of Malaya and while the A,ne,,mgn' il '. ' SHP tial? greeted warmly and enthusrastically byt er .I SGI Ors toured the Malayan cities, the Malayan people toured the American Shlp While down south for th ' ' ' , ese visits, t . - . G . g i he Ship once again crossed the equator to initiate new rnernbers of the Crew- eneral visiting records were shattered fl 11 . - , ,J , ' st island H ten I e cruiser moorcd at the port of Otaru on Japan s northetrlm0 3 Of Hokkaido in Jury 1961. Tl ,- - , . ze visit sam 25,463 eager Hokkaido residents ,q,,,,,,.,,H up AQAINT' P14 UL-S b,-Owsforll 0103 i

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'is be 959 II. trt- Olll' frly Jng the ary ted 'ral nal 'ar. OFC ent zsk nd, zed 'ty. all lL. ing zve the 'nd in in in ,' is , the the ion jin W- ths rad 110 ing the replacement of all her 8-inch barrels, which had been worn smooth x . - 'F 'f ..Q,:. ' F . . 'ml ' f N'. during het' first Korean action. iff' I The ship's operations during the second cruise included constant bom- bardment of' enemy intallations all along the Korean coast, providing anti- aircraft suppport to Task Force 77, destroying key rail lines in the lteart of North Korea and serving as tl1e major sea component in coordinated air-sea attack on the Communist-lzeld port of Wonsan. She joined other air and surface units in the assault on Chongjin, less than 50 miles front tlze .Manchurian border, broke up a party given .W :sw in honor of tlte premier of .Vorth Korea by letting loose salvcs front her 5-inch guns as tlze celebration started, captured nine prisoners-oflwar with the aid of her destroyer escort and ended her secona' cruise late in May 1952 by blasting Red-held positions along the length of North Korea's east coast SAINT PAUL then returned to Long Beach after an eight month stay in the Korean area in wlziclz she had steanzed nzore than 60,000 miles and . .y, Z? Vi Wa dumped 16,000 rounds Of' ammunition on the Communists. She was underway for lzer third and last battle cruise into Korean X NX XX Q M 1 :N ' waters in February 1953 and later joined in an April Fool's Day assault N X , X .. .hy xx X . :X . Xxx var' X X x A F, v-'x - ff on vital rail .supply lines near Songjin. She then resumed lzer support VICE ADMIRAL C. D.. GRIFFIN, FORMER COMMANDER SEVENTH FLEET, WELCOMES CHIANG KAI- SHEK ABOARD SAINT PAUL DURING OPERATION BLUE STAR . activities bombarding Communist positions all along the A'Bombline. The ship received her only direct hit during the Korean conflict on July 11, 1953 at Wonsan when one of approximately 50 rounds fired at the cruiser by the Communists struck a 3-inch mount. There were no casualties. On July 27, 1953 SAINT PAUL conducted her last unst k h g 11 e of te Korean conflict. Approximately two minutes before Lt. General William K. Harrison signed the first truce document, the Fighting Saint let loose the final shell from a United Nations naval unit. After .service in Korea, SAINT PAUL served with both the FIRST and SEVENTH Fleets She s ent a - P good deal of her time in Far Eastern waters and carried the flag of Commander SEVENTH Fleet five times during the period 1954 to 1959. The Saint ranged the entire SEVENTH Fleet operating area hopping from one trouble spot to another and making goodwill calls all over the Western Pacmc. Early in February 1959 word was received that SAINT PAUL was to become the permanent flagship of Commander SEVENTH Fleet. Requests went out to units of the Pacnic Fleet for volunteers desiring permanent Far Eastern duty in SAINT PAUL. As a result of this, over 80 percent of the crew was exchanged during the period February to May. At tlze same time the ship entered Long Beach Naval Shipyard for special modnications to meet Commander SEVEN TH Fleet's requirements. SAINT PAUL arrived at her new homeport of Yokosuka, Japan on an overcast, rainy morning of May 26 and made fnal preparations to take aboard Commander SEVENTH Fleet, Vice Admiral Frederick N. Kivette, USN, and his stajl On June 2. 1959 Admiral Kivette's personal flag was close up on SAINT PAUL. The remaining months of 1959 saw SAINT PAUL visit Kobe, Otaru and Sasebo, Japan ,' Inchon, Korea ,' Chi Chi Jima, in the island chain extending south from Japan ,' Saipan and Guam, Marianas Islands ,' Keelung and Kaohsiung, Taiwan ,' Subic Bay, Manila, Zamboanga and Cebu, Philippine Islands ,' Hong Kong, B.C.C. and Djakarta, Indonesia. On the trip down to Indonesia SAINT PAUL crossed the equator at 118 degrees 27 minutes East longitude d . an in traditional ceremonies King Neptune took command for the day. Polliwogs -sailors who had not previously crossed the equator-were initiated into the mysteries of the deep through various trials and tests of endurance. They were thus transformed into shel1backs t' d tue an trusty seafarers. Proof of the fact that SAINT PA UL is always on the alert for emergencies came on September 1, 1959 when the Laotian crisis arose. The cruiser was moored at Sasebo, Jay t 'f 1 jan o gne t te crew a few days of relaxation when word was received of trouble brewing in Laos. In three hours the flagship was underway and heading south at full speed.

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Irv. ule. in vest ,r, 1 1 vas 'ai- the cu- the 'ial her to UP '71 , vit, 'ti- Of ler 'nt ir! 'or de to In es ik ie 18 is ie Z. J' vv a e v. J 6 look at the huge flagship of' the mighty U.S. SEVENTH Fleet. Over 10,000 guests were logged in one afternoon alone. During her two years, six months and 24 days as permanent flagship for Commander SEVENTH Fleet-A-June 2, 1959 until December 26, 1961,-three different adniirals held tlze reins of' the SEVENTH Fleet: Vice Admiral Kivette, Vice Admiral Charles D. Griffin and Vice Admiral li'illian1 A. Schoech. The command of the flagship changed hands four times. Captain Carter L. Bennett took SAINT PAUL to tlze Far East in 1959. He was relieved by Captain John H. Maurer who in turn was succeeded by Captain Frederick H. brought the Fighting Saint back to tlze US. Schneider. Captain Albert T. Church, Jr. While SAINT PA UL served as permanent fiagsliip of' tlze SEVENTH Fleet, she steamed 138,906 miles ,' made 70 port calls outside her homeport of Yokosuka: welcomed aboard 141,594 visitors during special group and general visiting hours and played host to top government and nzilitary leaders throughout the Far East. And, most important of all, her crew spread good will and won friends for our country at every port the slzip visited. The Saint had a one-month yard period front December 20, 1961 until January 21, 1962 at the Ship Repair Facility, Yokosuka. This was tlze longest period in tlze yards tlze cruiser lzad lzad since leaving the Long Beach Naval Shipyard early in 1959. After two weeks of operations around the Philippines, SAINT PA UL steamed to Sasebo, Japan, mooring in India Basin on February 5, 1962. There she embarked Commander Cruiser Destroyer Flotilla NINE, Rear Admiral Elliott Loughlin, USN, and his staff. Most ofthe month of' February was spent down south in tlze Philippine operating areas. The Fighting Saint conducted nearly every type of gun firing exercise imaginable. These were days of early reveille, general qiiarters all day land sometimes into the nightj, and lots of hard work for all hands. But, as always, SAINT PA UL came through with flying colors. As a result of the outstanding shooting, the ship now sports 1' E's on Turret I, Mount 52 and 53. We began March with a welcome upkeep period in Yokosuka. After brushing up on our speciality, gunfire support, down in the Philippines, we were preparing to become proficient at Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla Nine's speciality, anti-air warfare. SAINT PA UL and Cruiser Destroyer Flotilla Nine joined forces with Task Group 77.4 in the middle of' March to begin an association which endured until SAINT PAUL returned to the United States in July. Task Group 77.4 composed of ass coRAL stsf-1, QCVA-435 ENROUTE TO MANILA FROM SUBIC BAY DURING DECEMBER 1961, MRS SCHOECH, WIFE OF VICEADMIRAL WILLIAMA. SCHOECH, COMMANDER SEVENTH FLEET, TRIES HER HAND AT SAINT PAUL'S HELM. R.B. DEEDS, QM2, GIVES THE ADMIRAL'S WIFE SOME POINTERS WHILE CAPTAIN A. T. CHURCH, JR., WATCHES. and her a'estroyer escort, usually tlze destroyers of Destroyer Squadron Nine, covered a great deal of territory in those few months. The Task Group finished of March like a lion by holding an anti-submarine weapons demonstration. In the raw March seas. the Task Group spent two days displaying tlze anti-submarine capabilities of a modern Navy to Japanese businessmen and parliamentary members. When not operating with CORAL SEA during April, SAINT PAUL visited Iwakuni, the Marine Corps Air Facility in Southern Honshu and participated in the Nagasaki Port Festival. During the first few days of May, Task Group 77.4 called at Kobe, Japan while SAINT PAUL turned homeward for a visit to Yokohama. We helped Yokohama celebrate her port festival, while the married men enjoyed the luxury of being moored a few minutes f7'om their homes in the Navy's Yokohama housing facilities. The Laotian situation kept SAINT PAUL and Task Group 77.4 at sea most of the latter part of May, but we did manage a glorious visit to Hong Kong during the final week of the month. On 15 June, SAINT PA UL arrived in Yokosuka for our fnal visit to our Far Eastern home. The dependents were busy p1cking and preparing for the voyage back to the United States. The approximately 80W of SAINT PAUL's crew who are single were busy saying goodbye to fiends or taking one last look at Japan before going home. An era in SAINT PAUL's history ends with the departure of the ship hom Yokosuka in early Julv. In the pages that follow you will find the story of 1962 told in detail and a full narrative of SAINT PAUL,s journey to that strange new land, America.