Salem (CA 139) - Naval Cruise Book

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slxrn rrrer Mediterranean Cruise wk r .

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ER RY .S.S. 139 VS TUNISIA tTRPOL 'kfj E R A N C E vemcef A R'55TE A YUGOSLAVIA MARSIILLE -J PORTUGAL ww sRA1 N ALBANIA wwf? NAMES A' 0 oe 5ARW'A Q GREECE TURKEY k,X-,X E D I TQL,-fiCAGLlARl W igzhgqq A PALEUJA tnums ALG5Rs?x21igP'5' uzEnTE rglfl LY imnus If .LX f-' .Af f A ggsrazz Aiicgsg Oigf I 4, Qgf MOROCCO ALGERHA 'Y PS N CRETE S PA UBIA EGYPT Norfolk ' Lisbon, Portugal Gibraltar Palmas Bay, Greece Valetta, Malta Augusta, Sicily Palermo, Sicily Naples, Italy Genoa, Italy La Spesia, Italy Villafranche, France Atl1ens, Greece Istanbul, Turkey Beirut, Lebanon Suda Pray, Crete Villafranche, France Algiers, Algeria Gran, Algeria Aranci Bay Marseilles, France Gibraltar Boston

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F 71.6 mn nm A INCE THE early days of the nineteenth century-when ships were made of wood and iron men were making Navy tradition, when Barbary pirates were rampant and uncontested on the high seas-the United States .has periodically kept warships in European waters, particu- larly in the Mediterranean Sea. Beginning with the War with Tripoli in 1802, and almost continually since 18.86, American sea power in this area of more than a million square miles has aided in assuring peace-a recognized historic responsibility of the United States. Today, the U. S. Sixth ' X i7 l,,VV 1 yia- r Fleet in the Mediterranean, commanded by Vice Ad- .Q ggwm miral john Jennings Bal- SL !5ll!'7 7 lentine, is the Navy's.larg- est permanent. operational A F 'S li vG - fleet on the high seas. Its -- nm mission, defined in 1946 by the late Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal, is twofold-to support Allied occupation forces and the Allied Military Govern- ment in the discharge of their responsibilities, and to protect United States interests and support United States policies in the area. Composed of an aircraft carrier, a division of cruisers, a squadron of destroyers and sustaining auxiliary ves- sels-normally about twenty ships in all, manned by twelve thousand officers and men and a reinforced bat- talion of Marines-the Sixth Fleet is a subordinate op- erational command of the Commander-in-Chief, United States Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, with headquarters in London. As one of the three Com- manders-in-Chief under the Chief of Naval Operations, his boundaries of jurisdiction extend roughly from a point just east of the Azores to a point beyond India, and from the North Pole to the Equator. The Sixth Fleet has no base in the Mediterranean Sea, it must therefore remain continually on the move, engaging in exercises at sea or calling at any of scores of foreign ports in the area. -' Avi' -.o'- Y, ,--',f-.1s- - 1- - Rarely does the Fleet re- -31 gg :cgi -I main in any one port for . 1-f?.:-ig more than a week, usually i:fE- ,,f51., the visit is for three or four pl Fi? , - days. :gi-aff? With minor exceptions, Ei each vessel of the Sixth 5, 'Q Fleet serves for a period of ': four months in the Medi- -5' Y-'IFQWQ5 terranean while on de ff Q . ' M U- el tached duty fiom the At- My. K fggfi lantic Fleet. Vessels com- ' pleting their tours are re- f lieved in a Mediterranean port by other vessels of similar types and returned to the United States for shipyard repairs and alterations. After being briefed, the new arrivals swing into a sche- dule of operations which trains the officers and men in independent movements and familiarizes them not only with the waters in which' they cruise but also with the people, customs and traditions of the various countries they visit. The four-month regular rotation of the ships and their personnel permits the max- p I imum number of officers pl t lf and men to become ac- y F' a-2 , V .5 ..., quainted with the Mediter- F ranean area. In the Navy 7 A I 'V 1 today are tens of thousands 'tyy l T 1 Q f pg: J who have made the cruise. 1' Some of the officers and , V p ,ttf .My men are old hands and ,i,-t. Vfytt jj .irrf F know this area wellg others are new, young and wide- .t' ',.f A A eyed, perhaps making their first cruise in foreign waters. But for all, duty with the Sixth Fleet is considered tops, it is exciting and fasci- nating. The high morale of the Fleet might be attributed to the fact that at sea and in port the men are always busy. Intensive maintenance is a standing order and under- standably a necessary one. If emergency reDairs are needed during the four- month tour, adequate dry- dock facilities are available in the area on a rental basis. At sea, the routine is maintenance and train- ing, in port, maintenance, training and fun for the crew ashore. Admiral Bal- lentine believes in giving his men the maximum op- portunity to get acquainted with the Mediterranean lands and their peoples. Shore leave is as liberal as the situation warrants. Prior to entering a new port, information is disseminated calling attention to the port's place in world history and describing its historic landmarks. Upon arrival, educa- tional tours are arranged. If the men have relatives in the area leaves are arranged for them so that they can pass their time in port with their kin. Some marry and bring their wives back to the United States. There are no idle hands in this Fleet. Work and play periods alike are crammed full. The training is so ill- tensive that it is probable that the men do and learn more in a shorter period of time than they would in actual combat. They are drilled in methods of repelling a1r and submarine attacks and air targets, including the elusive radio-controlled drones. They learn how to T6- cover. men overboard and how to extinguish firesg other training helps them to sharpen communications and t0 masteraeffective ship maneuvers. All of the training lJ1'1IlgS into play the most up-to-date strategy and tactics as a means of maintaining the Sixth Fleet at the peak of readiness. For the men who scramble ashore after hectic days at sea this is the best duty in the world. Most of them, insatiable collectors, keep a constant How of photographS and souvenirs returning in the mails to the folks b?lCk home. .It is estimated that the men of the Fleet spend two million dollars annually in the foreign ports they visit. The Sixth Fleet sailor who joined the Navy to SCC the world IS seeing 1t. Each is a roving ambassador 111 21