Salem (CA 139) - Naval Cruise Book

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William Kilnan Romoser. UmTed STaTas Navy, Commanding Oflicer of The heavy www infBalTimore, Maryland. July 2l, l903. A y r4aTTending Lehigh UniversiTy for one year, CapTain Rornoser entered The Naval Academy, Hu, ,atedin The class of i926 and drew his TirsT assignmenf aboard The U.S.S. MARYLAND. T ' From l928 unTil I939 CapTain Romoser served aboard Tnve difierenf ships of Tha Float aN'gnd.,dH Torpedo School, The UniTed STaTes Naval PosTgraduaTe School and The Naval War Collage, . T ln l939r he was given command of his TirsT ship, The U.S.S. GREER DD l4S. Ha also commandgdf UPSHUTR and The U.S.S. RADFORD before being assigned as Commanding Officer of The Naval Trainini Hollywood Beach. Florida, in I944. hr e Prior To reporhng To The U S S. SALEM November 9 l95I CapTain Rornosar was Commanding Off, UniTed STaTes Naval STaTion, GuanTanamo Bay. Cuba. For combaT in The SouTh Pacific The CapTain was awarded The Navy Cross, Silver STar, Legion of Gold STar Tor second awardl, Bronze STar, and The CommendaTion Ribbon lwiTh Bronze Sfar for secon He also holds The PresidenTial UniT CiTaTion awarded The U.S.S. RADFORD DD 446 while he was in comm vessel. CapTain Romoser is married To The former Elsie A K Ik d ' Th T Th T ' ' A h Romoser. Jr. and Barbara ElizabeTh Romoser. 6 man an is e G er O two C lldreni V CES mseuhvspfriixivgi-KBBTNEAF ,a-w 'W ev ' uswg ,Bmw bigger A S 5 KYB sw 59,5133 5 Gabe, 1957- 'b W5 siY0gw?Y10'-5 vifqoi-Wssw YW 1 we x. eh?-W sewn Om eff ers' so umm R0 ef of W 325-5: anasaevvou' Toro?-P-Wm r we 'Graff W fgffaee' bfags W Sw 0 JPY n a T caaion xl no 1.5.10 . as h on if jgparsgggii cggfihea men mate .Sou orgggsaxgzse we . x, the 3 'BO 52335069 936' OSSILGOT1 Zapp? one to Qofigrzlbip 5934, of wiht-O odd? wb-S vo U15 'Li-Qi' gefiflifmiimve e. 9 Y Tenn-Lon 1 9150 6 51090 ew. O at 9. KX 'Y 2. 'mess as 'Sow ind home rn TB- Q, o ' 5, QOHQTZQ1 be igro at tr up MW G 31 H9369 . X 113: fixes- ' mi when lo ' H- 05523 S- its o ' e V169 Banu aliiifw it Commander

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History of the USS Salem CA-I39 an March 27, I934, Congressman George Bafes rose before Congress To ask for an appropriafion of funds for The consTrucTion of a new uniT of The naTion's naval forces. IT was To be a heavy cruiser Type ship of The laTesT design, and named for The hisforically rich mariTime ciTy of Salem, Massachuseffs. Work progressed slowly on The new ship. IT was noT unTil July 4, l945, ThaT The keel was laid aT The Befhlehem Shipyards, Fore River, Massachuseffs. This was The IasT major warship To be builT in ThaT yard during The World War Two boom. As her hull Took shape in The ways, incorporafing The improvemenfs learned during four A '9339'-39 mf '33 s. years of war, iT soon became evidenf ThaT This was To be a worThy addifion To The Unifed STaTes Eleef. Launched in I947, iT was noT unTil Two years laTer, on May I4, I949, amidsT a um S1i!1,l!T!'ill '-4' 5.f. LaJY'f'lT i'i3fi'.' background of flying bunfing, speeches, and fanfare ThaT she was commissioned The U.S.S. SALEM CA-I39 aT The Soufh BosTon Naval Shipyard. On board for The oc- casion were many dignifaries, including Admiral Louis E. Denfield, Then Chief of Naval Operafions, The laTe Congressman George BaTes who had played such a key role in obfaining appropriafions for her complefion, and The Honorable Joseph B. T-larringfon, Then Mayor of Salem. The ship was The second cruiser To carry The name SALEM, in honor of The Town. The firsT was launched in July, l907 aT The Befhlehem Shipyard in Ouincy, Massachu- seTTs. She served during The Eirsf World War from April I6, I9I7 To November 'l I, l9I8. In November of l929 she was decommissioned, having served in The Tleef for over TwenTy-Two consecuTive years. Capfain John C. Daniels, The firsT Commanding Officer, Took The new vessel on her maiden voyage from Bosfon for a Three day'visiT To Salem over Independence Day of The year of her commissioning. The Twelffh of July found The ship on her firsT lengfhy cruise, her shakedown aT GuanTanamo Bay, Cuba. Upon TerminaTion of The Three monfh Training period in The Caribbean where porTs in l-laiTi, Jamaica, and The Panama Canal Zone were visiTed, she reTurned To The familiar surroundings of Bosfon. PosT-shakedown mainfenance work, speed Trials for The ships of The SALEM class, parTicipaTion in OperaTion PORTEX, her firsT change of command, and numerous Trips beTween BosTon and Guanfanamo Bay consumed The SALEM's firsT winTer of acTive duTy, IT was in January of ThaT period ThaT Capfain Edmund B. Taylor relieved Capfain Daniels as Commanding Officer. The recurrenT runs To Cuba in The early monThs of The ship's life earned her The firsT epiTheT, The GTmo Express. The day finally arrived laTe ThaT spring ThaT The newly developed crew had been awaifing. On May 3, l95O, The SALEM goT underway for The European area To relieve The U.S.S. NEWPORT NEWS as Flagship of The Sixfh FleeT. Success in The iniTial ATlanTic crossing found The ship in Lisbon, Porfugal where she Took on board The flag of Vice Admiral John J. Ballenfine Then Commander of The SixTh EleeT. AT lasT performing The Task for which The ship was de- signed The crew was kepT busy The nexT six monfhs parficipafing in various operafions including several wiTh The Allied naTions of France England ITaly and Greece Befween operafional periods The SALEM visiTed porTs in France lTaly Greece Turkey NorTh Africa and Lebanon IT was in The laTTer parT of Sepfember ThaT The new vessel by Then an inTegraTed and effechve uniT of The fleeT bade farewell To The MediTerranean and reTurned To The STaTes A shorT Three week sTay in Bosfon preceded parficipafion in maneuvers wiTh The ATlanTic fleeT The ChrlsTmas hola days were spenT in BosTon and whaT members of The crew ThaT could be spared were given leave On January 3 l95l The Gfmo Express sailed info The sformy NorTh ATlanTic bound for The Caribbean and her annual refresher cruise Her second change of command highlighTed This period as Capfain Taylor Turned over his command To Capfaln Donald C Varian March 2OTh loomed up and The SALEM made her second ATlanTuc crossing To reassume her duTies of flagship for The Sixfh Eleef As The SALEM and The NEWPORT NEWS moored Togefher genTly rode The waves aT Villefranche Vice Admiral Maffhias B Gardner Admiral BallenTine s relief Transferred his flag Once again came operafional periods in The waTers of The Tide less sea Once again The numerous porTs of call some for The flrsT Time some for The second The monThs passed quickly unTil The day ThaT her relief The U S S DES MOINES appeared on The horizon Upon reTurn To The STaTes The men discovered Thar The ship was scheduled for an exfensive overhaul Ocfober 4Th she enTered The Bosfon Naval Shipyard for a four monTh yard period CapTain William K Romoser assumed command of The SALEM on The 9Th of November relieving Capfain Varian January came The necessary mainTenance work was concluded and The reiuvenafed vessel headed souTh for anofher shakedown cruise off Cuba The ship which already had an impressive record aT The Training base in Guanfanamo improved upon IT vasTly during The nexT few monfhs Back in BosTon by early April preparafions were made for The Third Mediferranean cruise On The I9Th of April amidsf Tarewells of families and friends The gangways were Taken away The lines casT off and she was on her way once more To become a parT of The SixTh Eleef

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