Salem (CA 139) - Naval Cruise Book

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APTAIN EDWARD L. RoisiaRTsoN, JR., USN, was born in Syracuse, New York on October 1, 1909. He was appointed to the U. S. Naval Academy from the 35th Congressional District of New York in 1927 and was commissioned an Ensign upon graduation with the Class of 1931. Upon graduation from the U. S. Naval Academy, Captain Robertson first served in the U.S.S. Mary- land as deck and gunnery officer fjuniorj. In 1932 he was transferred to the U .S.S. Arkansas where he served for one year as Engineering Division Officer. The next three years were spent aboard the de- stroyer U.S.S. Whipple. From 1936 until 1938 Captain Robertson served aboard the destroyer U .S.S. Drayton. As Engineering Officer in 1940 he served one year aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Wallis: and was then transferred to the destroyer U.S.S. Swanson. He served aboard the Swanson as Engineering Ol'- ficer, Executive Officer and in 1942 was named Commanding Officer of that vessel. From 1944 until 1946 Captain Robertson was Assistant Operations Officer on the Staff ol' Com- mander in Chief, U. S. Atlantic Fleet, and ing March, 1946 assumed command of the U. S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he served until 19-18. He was named Executive Officer of the heavy cruiser U.S.S. Salem in March, 1949, and has served in that capacity to date. 9 COMMANDER EDWIN S. MILLER United States Navy Executive Officer, U.S.S. Salem If sf 0 as , ltygm :fin CAPTAIN E. L. ROBERTSON, JR. United States Navy Former Executive Officer, U.S.S. Salem ox-ixmxin-QR .XIILLI-1R was born in Missoula, Mon- tana, on November 15, 1910. He attended the University of Montana one year. before entering the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Mary- land, from Missoula County, Montana, was gradu- ated in the Class ol' 1933-A, and was then commis- sioned Ensign. He advanced to the rank of Com- mander in june, 1945. Commander Mi11er's hrst sea-going assignment was aboard the U.S.S. Alaryland, in which he served two years. He was transferred to the U.S.S. Edsall CDD-2191, until 1937 when he was ordered to duty on the Staff, Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet. Later in the year he was assigned to the U.S.S. Smvmnnlz QCL-421, and subsequently to the U.S.S. Trfnily CAO-131, and the U.S.S. Nlau-ry QDD-4011. From 1941 to 1943, Commander Miller was at- tached to the Executive Department of the United States Naval Academy. From June, 1943 to july, 1944 he served as Navigator of the CVL, U,S,S, Cabot. In 1944, he took over as Commanding Offi- cer of the U.S.S. Lowry QDD-7701, which command he retained until April, 1947. After a tour of duty as student and member of the Staff at the Naval XVar College at Newport, Rhode Island, Com- mander Miller on July 24, 1950, reported for duty aboard the U.S.S. Salem QCA-1391 as Exegutivg Officer.

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The .S.S. ALE -139 HE U.S.S. SALEM QCA-1395 was built at the Fore River Ship Yard of the Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass. Her keel was laid on july 4, 1945 and she was launched on March 25, 1947. On May 9, 1949 the Bethlehem Steel Co. delivered her to the Navy. Finally on May 14, 1949, the Salem became a part of the active fleet of the U. S. Navy through the commissioning ceremonies at the Boston Naval Ship Yard, Boston, Mass. Highlights of the Commissioning Ceremonies were many but perhaps most important was a speech by Admiral Louis Denfeld, then Commander Naval Operations. During the period from May 19119 through Feb- ruary 1950, Captain C. Daniel, the Salenfs hrst CO3 Commander E. L. Robertson, Jr., the ship's Exec., Commander R. WV. Pono, the ship's Opera- tions Oflicerg LCDR Roberts Qnow Commander Robertsj and LCDR Bradshaw, the ship's Doctor and Dentist respectivelyg LCDR F. Cearan, the ship's Chaplaing LCDR P. S. Smith, the Gunnery Officerg and LCDR Harris, lingineering Officer plus all other officers and the crew were busy mold- ing together each separate function of the ship into one united force. These activities included shake- down cruise from -Iuly 19-19 to October 19-19 and two other cruises, one in November 19-19 and one in December 1949. During this period too. we made a trip to Salem, Massachusetts to celebrate the Ll-th of July with the townspeople of the city for which the ship was named. During shakedown cruise, we paid visits to Port- au-Prince, Haiti, and Kingston. Jamaica during i I Us V The Old l'.S.S. Salem. E., , 'Y X August and then over the Labor Day holiday.in September, spent a week going to, in, and returning from the Panama Canal Zone. XfVhi1e in Panama we were tied up in Colon on the Atlantic side. From here, most of the crew visited Christobal, also on the Atlantic, and Balboa, and Panama City on the Pacific side. .-Xfter our brief holiday in Panama, we returned to Ctmo Bay, Cuba to finish shakedown. On Oc- tober 5th, 19-19, we started the return trip to Boston stopping enroute at Newport, R. I. for one day. XVhile in Newport, we embarked Commander, Cruiser Division Four. The next day, October 8th, we arrived in Boston, amid a heavy fog, strains of music from the shipyard band and the welcoming cheers from friends and relatives on the dock. Again, around the lst of November, we were under way to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This time to conduct tests of trial gear. XfVe returned to Boston a few weeks later. ln December, the mighty U.S.S. Salem. was to be found once more in Caribbean waters. Speed trials were our major concern and after three days of them we returned to Boston. During this cruise to Ctmo, we made a return visit to Port-au-Prince, Haiti to participate in the opening of the Haitian Bicentennial lixposition. At home we made the newsreels-our Marine Detachment was shown marching in the parade that marked the opening of the bicentennial. On the 18th of December we arrived in Boston and thus ended our many trips to Ctmo and put an end to the nick-name the ship had received from its crew- The Gtomo Express. Upon arrival in Boston, Christmas leave parties imme- diately left the ship and those of us who stayed, immediately plunged into the preparations for the holiday season. On shipboard, it included deco- rating the ship both topside and below decks and making preparations for a Christmas party for the children of the Ship's Company on December 24th. Finally, the Christmas Season came to an end and s - all aboard the mighty U.S.S. Salem returned to normal. 1949 had come and gone and all of us were looking for- ward to 1950 which promised to be a busy and interesting year for all of us. February 2nd, 1950, is a date which most of us aboard since commissioning will long remember. It marked the first major change in the command 1