Salem (CA 139) - Naval Cruise Book

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L r l 4 I 1. 1 yi - I Y F K I .Qi 9 it t M-. of the ship. .Xt this time, Captain C. Daniel was relieved by Captain Edmund B. Taylor. NVe wel- comed Captain Taylor and continued as before with our efforts to make the ship worthy of its name and Captain Taylor proud of his ship and his men. Several days later we were under way for Operation Portrex. Operation Portrex was our initiation into the maneuvers of the fleet. This exercise lasted from the first week of February to the middle of March. Although we were not perfect during this exercise, we showed the rest of the fleet that the Salem was a ship to watch and be wary of. IVe were out to give some ships some competition and we did! IfVe started back to the states about the 21st of March and arrived in Norfolk, Va., on the 25th. IfVe stayed there until the 28th, then left for Newport, R. I., where we arrived on the 29th. April 15th saw us under way for Boston and a few days in Dry Dock before our forthcoming Medi- terranean cruise. I'Ve welcomed Boston and our favorite port with eager and anxious hearts. Our stay here lasted until May lst, l950. May lst, 1950 was a day we had long awaited. Although it meant leaving the U. S. for several months, it also gave us the opportunity to see a major part of the world. Thus, we welcomed it with great expectation. Ive left Boston on May lst, and after spending a day at sea went into Norfolk, Ya., on the 3rd to embark the George Company Fleet Marine Force. Later that same day we began our Atlantic crossing. May 13th, which marked our arrival in Lisbon, Portugal, and thus to the end of the cruise in Mediterranean waters, we visited many different ports and countries. Lisbon, Portugal, Gibraltar, Valetta, Malta, Augusta and Palermo, Sicily, Na- ples, Italy. From Naples, we made excursions to Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento and over the sea routes via ferry to the Isle of Capri. Then came Genoa and LaSpezia, Italy and at long last our long awaited trip to Villefranche, France. -IfVe arrived in France on the 3rd of july and stayed until the l6th. During this time the ship's company wasted no time in learning all they could of the French Riviera. This included taking in the cities of the Gold Coast of France which included Cannes, Gulf Juan, Juan les Pins, Nice, Villefranche, and Monte Carlo, to name those which were most frequented by us. After France came our visits to Athens, Greece, Istanbul, Turkey, and Beirut, Lebanon. .I I K U ,Q-gflq' f The new U.S.S. SIll0lll CA-139. These cities we visited during the period July 16th, 1950 to August 16th, l950. W'hile the Salem was in Athens, Greece, Commander IE. S. Miller arrived to relieve Commander E. L. Robertson, Jr., as Executive Officer. This took place on the 29th of July. August 16th saw the ship once more anchored in the harbor at Villefranche, France. We stayed there till the 5th of September and that date found us at sea enroute to Algiers, Algeria. September 9th to 19th .saw us ashore in Algiers and Oran, Algeria. Slowly our Mediterranean cruise was draw- ing to a close. Our last ports of call were Orancia Bay where we were relieved by the U.S.S. Des Moines QCA-13415 and Admiral Ballantine moved his flag aboard her. At the same time, we embarked Admiral Stokes, Commander Cruiser Division Four. After Orancia Bay, we visited Marseilles, France from the 26th to the 29th of September and then made a return trip to Gibraltar before bidding au revoir to the Mediterranean and were at last homeward bound for the good old U. S. A. i-- 11-1,,1- l- ii N??? .Y '--I 5

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SHlP'S CIHVIPLEMENT USS. SALEM