Salem (CA 139) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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slxrn rrrer Mediterranean Cruise wk r .

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in the llieditel-1-an ean Navy uniform creating good will and a better under- standing with the people with whom he comes in con- tact. During a regular four-month tour of duty with the Sixth Fleet, sailors on shore leave may visit Athens, Greece f Say, we studied about the Acropolis in our history classnjg Venice Q lt's not like the HIOXTCSHDQ Naples, Genoa, and Rome f I shook the Pope's handlujg Gibralter f So that's the big rock Qg Casablanca Q I didn't see Humphrey Bogartujg Rhodes Q'fDear Mom - It's wonderfulnjg and a score of other places that at- tract tourists the world over. - Like his predecessor Admi- S-. Ng ral Forrest P. Sherman, now .Q lc ' Fi-3 Chief of Naval Operations, 5' . 'Sig Fleet Commander Ballentine , - - is a student of the Mediter- l I ranean. Having served in the 'T '- Med on two cruises as an h e ,QR t .-- . aircraft carrier division com- fggi 9 mander, he unhesitatingly de- 1' Q- scribes his duty as the best ff' in the Navy. His guest book -4435 EEE 551 reads like an international 1,-gllg ,'fZ'r f'fl Who's Mfhog it is inscribed with names of kings and queens, presidents, governors, mayors, cardinals and bishops, dukes and duchesses. He collects and reads avidly everything published about the Mediterranean, supplementing his reading knowledge during calls with tours and conversations with officials. Each visit is a good will mission. Newspapers of the countries of the Mediterranean refer to Admiral Ballen- tine's ships as the friendly fleet. Rarely do all the ships of the Sixth Fleet call at the same port at the same time. After Fleet exercises, or perhaps a mock amphibious landing on some foreign shore with the approval of the government concerned, units and groups are detached to visit various ports. Later all meet at sea to continue their training. For the signihcant diplo- if matic chore of extending the Fleet's good will to local offi- cials, Admiral Ballentine is assisted by two rear admirals, the commanders of the cruiser and carrier divisions included with the Fleet. Their sched- ule in port is a busy one. The entire first day in port may be spent in calling on local officials, with the evening devoted to an official reception. The second day sees the local authorities returning the Admiral's call on shipboard. YVhenever possible, a recep- tion is held on board the flagship to repay local courtesies. Greeting the press, attending local church services and public celebrations and reviewing parades make the schedule in port a crowded one. Only Admiral Ballentine's immediate staff of twenty officers and about one hundred and fifty men remain in the Mediterranean area for a period longer than four months. Staff personnel normally stay from eighteen to twenty months supervising the training of each succes- sive group. ln most cases, the married staff members have their wives and families in Europe with them, some residing at Villefranche or Cap Ferrat on the French Riviera, others in Naples and Rome, with some fol- lowing the Fleet. Over holiday periods, the members rt- 4 at V-TTC - sf 2 s of the staff may go on leave or their wives and families may join them at the port where they happen to be tem- porarily based. The bulk of the Fleet's fuel oil is obtained from tankers. XVith the exception of some fresh fruits, vegetables and other perishables, all supplies are brought out in ships from the United States about every six weeks. Perishables are pur- chased locally by the individ- Et. xNs' 7 '--- ftr --.. 1 sf' .... - . S 'f - N 4 . ' ' . fs. l W I, xxx s .lqyw yu C X 6 1 ,Q ,gba ,ia if f 'Y ' ' is wi N 6 S? v if. xxx ...ss 5 , .ff . . . s K1 2 X ' , . s. sg v F ,M .SS ,ga X as gps i s s - X2 X Rex' H 4 ' V . X tt .X is 'Q sr X rs Ag ' 7 g 4 E T A I s I ual ship supply officers but only when such supplies are in excess of local needs. Bids are requested for the ma terial needed and the order is given to the lowest bidder capable of meeting specifications. Large-scale replenishments of food, fuel oil, aviation gasoline and other supplies, an all hands job, are cus tomarily made in replenishment anchorages, where staff members make a minimum of official calls. Necessary replenishments also are effected while the ships are at sea, perfecting the techniques developed during World War ll for keeping the Fleet uninterruptedly in action. The communication system in the Sixth Fleet, as in all large and complex organizations, is the coordinating lifeline. Few activities of the Navy compare with the Sixth Fleet command in volume of communications traffic handled. Scores of radio and visual messages are initiated and received on board the Fleet fiagship daily, keeping far-flung operations at all times under control. Mail from the United States is delivered by Military Air Transport Service planes on an average of five days after it is posted, if the ships are in port. Mail for the Fleet is first deposited at Port Lyauty, French Morocco, where it is sorted and bagged for individual ships. Then it is flown to the ports where the ships are anchored or scheduled to call. Mfhen the ships arrive in port, mail is awaiting them. As in all military organizations, this is an important factor in keeping high the spirits of men away from their loved ones. Duty with this potent Med- iterranean force is prized. A nineteen-year-old flagship ra- dioman comments: I've been out here three months now. Time goes fast. Maybe it's because we're always doing something. I joined the Navy to see the world, and believe me, I'm seeing it. A salt in the staff communications gang chimes in: I shipped over just to get this duty and I consider sea duty in the Med as the best there is. I've been out here for over two years and after I get back to the States to see my folks, I'm putting in for this duty again. This is the United States Sixth Fleet, described by Admiral Sherman as a powerful factor in maintaining the policies and prestige of the United States in the Mediterranean. It is a far cry from those early days when the sheer boldness and daring of one man named Decatur made history in these waters and set the pat- tern for what is more easily felt than defined as Navy tradition. sf A X. T97