Saipan (CVL 48) - Naval Cruise Book

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Q W... R 1-6' iff' . g g X lj! . , f W it xx -'X gs On April 4th the SAIPAN stood into Tunis - . . was M fc X 5 A ,Q site of the historic ruins of Carthage from which 1- ' ' Qi S... no Q , I Hannibal sailed on one of History's mightiest ' ' A X MY' military expeditions. A seven mile train ride ' Q ' - across the coastal marshes brought us our first X glimpse of the shimmering African metropolis. Capital of the French Protectorate of Tunisia, the city presented a panorama of alabaster walls, brilliantly colored costumes and sparkling mina- rets. Mingling with the colorful native crowds, white hats moved among scarlet fezzes. The ship's company had ample opportunity to sample the exotic tropical fare in the city's restaurants, cheer the Egyptian and Spanish dancers in the gay cab- arets and purchase souvenir items of the land's X J ga ,f native handicrafts. The more historically minded members of the crew browsed among the ruins of once-mighty Carthage, foremost sea power of the ancient world. A few lucky men found silver and copper coins still lying in the debris of a Roman bath of a thousand years ago. We wandered about the ruins which included an amphitheater, a pre-Christian era apartment house, and the remains of a Roman aqueduct. The SAIPAN's next African port of call was Sfax, also in Tunisia. Lacking the cosmopolitan atmosphere of North Africa's larger cities, Sfax is built on flat desert country running into the sea. The city is particularly notable as a French military establishment and for its large oil storage facilities. After a visit to Italy, the SAIPAN returned to Africa on the 5th day of May, making the fa- mous port of Algiers. There the ship made fast, stern-end-to, to a wharf and a line of lighters was then strung alongside to the starboard gangway. A noisy delegation of eager native merchants wasted no time in setting out their wares along the lighters and harried the ship's company un- mercifully with their merchandising as they passed to and from the ship. Glamorous and wicked Algiers is built against mountain slopes, climbing abruptly from sea level. The climb up was well worth it. The romantic city, often portrayed by motion pictures, came up to all expectations. Noisy, busy, cosmopolitan Algiers, with its chattering and persistent mer- chants, its colorfully garbed natives, patient donkeys and cluttered but gleaming architecture, offered a world of entertainment for all of us. You could sit at a table, order a bottle of champagne and listen to the lovely chanteuse fsing- er to youj at the Black Cat. At other places you could see the lithe, sinuous Arab dancers or the exponents of the French 'fcan-can. Or you could go back into the mountains and see the place where Algerians ski in winter. Skiing in Africa! Or, if you felt like Charles Boyer playing Pepe Le Moko, you could climb to the fortress, stumble through the cluttered streets and Meet me in the Casbah Z The SAIPAN sailed from Algiers on the 9th of May for five days of exercises with the Sixth Fleet before pushing on for Messina, Sicily.

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M A T. 2 ,X f ,, ,. 1 WZ -' if Jia . LXNXNSTYF XX fav A: 5fN5 L -1-fX2i5k1'2. ' 5 ,nf X MAH 3 K, x X Q A Q 4 X X Q -el ,RL A L, A-.W 1. The Bay of La Goulette from the ruins 2. The B , ey s Palace 3. A street scene in Tunis 4. Rums of Carthage thin Ky 1 l k,.V 15, nn 5- M0V1'M fi6nf in Tunis 6. Visiting the ruins of Carthage J . ,Sf